<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Requiem by Elle_chama</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339499">The Requiem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle_chama/pseuds/Elle_chama'>Elle_chama</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>World of Darkness [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Hunters, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternative Universe - Mages, Betrayal, Blood Drinking, Blood and Torture, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Killing, Multi, Original Mythology, Original Universe, Tragic Romance, War, inspired by Werewolf the Forsaken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:27:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>220,718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle_chama/pseuds/Elle_chama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every story has a start,<br/>but not always an ending.<br/>For those blessed with a promise of Eternity<br/>each beating heart becomes a melody,<br/>each unbeating heart a silent song in itself.<br/>For those cursed with a promise of Eternity,<br/>one lifetime is not enough,<br/>but one lifetime is all they have<br/>When the REQUIEM starts<br/>One shall never know when it will end.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Human Character/ Original Werewolf Character, Original Human Character/Original Human Character, Original Human Character/Original Vampire Character, Original Vampire Character/ Original Werewolf Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>World of Darkness [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155089</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Vergeten Lied</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>
<a id="_Toc434907643" name="_Toc434907643"></a><a id="_Toc434906168" name="_Toc434906168"></a><a id="_Toc434816939" name="_Toc434816939"></a><a id="_Toc434762492" name="_Toc434762492"></a><a id="_Toc434761584" name="_Toc434761584"></a><a id="_Toc432767220" name="_Toc432767220"></a><a id="_Toc432767164" name="_Toc432767164"></a><a id="_Toc432408072" name="_Toc432408072"></a><a id="_Toc432407880" name="_Toc432407880"></a><a id="_Toc431290583" name="_Toc431290583"></a><a id="_Toc431290517" name="_Toc431290517"></a><a id="_Toc385060300" name="_Toc385060300"></a>
</h2><p>
  
</p><p>“Beg for your death.” The mocking words filled his weakened senses and he felt the urge to snort. Up until then that devil in front of him had nagged him to beg for his life. And he didn’t, he stood his ground suffering the torture mostly in silence, the only sounds he emitted were grunts of pain and ocasional shouts. Truthfully speaking, he had felt tempted to beg for his death since his ‘life’ had been brutally tortured and assassinated in front of him. He had no more reasons to keep on living, he wished he could die already. Yet even if the words were stuck in his throat, he kept mute with his pride. He didn’t need that devil to kill him, the wounds already inflicted on his body would do the job soon enough.</p><p>“You are a damn pompous one.” The devil spoke but the words almost didn’t make sense, he smiled despite himself because he could feel his death approaching. Everything would end. Finally. He closed his eyes because the effort to keep them open was too much already. That’s when he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder, he whimpered and after a moment slumped on the ground with the only sound he could hear being his heart struggling to keep on beating. He berated it in his fuzzy head to stop already.</p><p>The next thing he knew, there was something being poured in his mouth, he choked but was still forced to drink the thing that soon he understood was blood, he faintly heard the devil telling him it was her blood. He blacked out for a few seconds and then heard the metal door of his chamber being forcefully closed. He felt his body on fire, the final torture the devil prepared him was burn him alive. But he didn’t care. He was dying and that’s what he wanted.</p><p>Strangely enough the burning didn’t stop, he couldn’t hear anything and just felt himself burning for hours and hours until his whole body felt numb and the burning stopped. He couldn’t hear his heart anymore before he completely blacked out, her name the only thing in his head.</p><p>But he didn’t die. Not completely.</p><p>He woke up hours later with his throat burning in pain. He was extremely thirsty. Disoriented because he couldn’t understand why he was still alive, he opened his eyes and her dead body was the first thing he saw. He snarled, a guttural sound that resembled more of an animal than a human sound.</p><p>Not long after the door was pulled open and the devil got in smirking. He felt like ripping that guy’s face and, for a second surprise, he couldn’t understand how the heavy chains imprisoning him to the walls and ground suddenly broke so easily when he launched himself forward against the devil, he couldn’t understand how the two body guards were suddenly forcing him on his knees.</p><p>“Forget who you were as a human. Your requiem as my slave starts here, from now on you are Daroll,” He felt his whole body tensing up. The devil pulled his dark blond hair and forced him to look in his eyes as he continued speaking. “You are mine and will do whatever I tell you to.”</p><p>His life had been taken away, and his death as a human was the first chord of his requiem as  a vampire.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Eerste Lied – The First Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>
<a id="_Toc434907644" name="_Toc434907644"></a><a id="_Toc434906169" name="_Toc434906169"></a><a id="_Toc434816940" name="_Toc434816940"></a><a id="_Toc434762493" name="_Toc434762493"></a><a id="_Toc434761585" name="_Toc434761585"></a><a id="_Toc432767221" name="_Toc432767221"></a><a id="_Toc432767165" name="_Toc432767165"></a><a id="_Toc432408073" name="_Toc432408073"></a><a id="_Toc432407881" name="_Toc432407881"></a><a id="_Toc431290584" name="_Toc431290584"></a><a id="_Toc431290518" name="_Toc431290518"></a><a id="_Toc385060301" name="_Toc385060301"></a>
</h2><p>His body had been numbed by pain as he was rudely hung up at the palace wall. That was the worst punishment the lord of the feud could give to those that dared to go against him. First Chungyeol had been spanked, had been hit with whips and then hung on the wall to slowly die by suffocation, as his own body weight would crush down his lungs, if the rapine birds would not eat him alive first.</p><p>The night was cool. The spring was giving way to summer in a slow comfortable pace. Chungyeol looked down with a blurred vision. Even if his body was weak, his mind was still very strong, therefore he wondered to himself why there was a sole figure looking up at him at that hour of the early morning, when the only light came from the torches illuminating the city. He thought maybe it was one of his men trying to tell him they had not given up. It made him feel proud of himself because if his death was necessary to gather other strong warriors to fight their cause, then his death was worth it.</p><p>He stared back at the figure, but then thought his mind was starting to succumb as the shadowy human figure approached the stone wall and quickly started climbing it up. That action was something impossible. The lord of the feud had ordered the wall to be built with the least rough surface possible, to exactly make it impossible to be climbed up. The outstanding height was also a very important add to the defense mechanism of the palace. Being hung up there Chungyeol was being humiliated for almost the whole capital to see.</p><p>Five slow beats of his heart later the figure was at his side, holding the right heavy chain that was binding Chungyeol’s right arm to the wall. Chungyeol blinked a few times in hopes his vision could clear up, just so he could really see who was that entity, because he was sure he was being visited by some supernatural creature and not a mere human.</p><p>True enough the young man in front of him was wearing a serious expression, Chungyeol was not sure if it was his vision fooling him but the guy’s eyes were a vivid red. “Kim Chungyeol.” The other spoke, voice soft and almost angelic. Chungyeol growled not being able to say much in the position he was in, breathing was already hard enough.</p><p>“I am here to offer you a deal,” The other continued making Chungyeol look at him with a resemblance of curiosity. “I’ve been following you for a while and I must say you’re an admirable human. You have a dream and you fight with all you have for it. Long ago I also had a dream, yet I had given up on it. But watching you, you made me dream again.” Chungyeol frowned at those words trying to pull himself up to breath in deeply again. Seeing that, the stranger moved an arm around his chest, easily holding Chungyeol up to help him breath.</p><p>“The deal I offer is simple. I help you free this land from its oppressive lord, and in return you help me free myself from my oppressive master.” The stranger said</p><p>With the help given Chungyeol was able to breathe enough to speak hoarsely. “How?”</p><p>The stranger smiled. Chungyeol didn’t know then what he was getting himself into, nor could he imagine how the relationship between them would be like, but that second, seeing that smile he felt like that stranger could be trusted.</p><p>“I am a vampire,” The stranger then said. Chungyeol was not that much surprised, he would be if the guy said he was human. “If I turn you into a vampire you’ll be able to defeat the whole of the lord’s army alone. I’ll transform you, but after you’re done, you’ll have to leave this place and put your best effort into helping me. After both of us attain our wishes you’ll be your own master.” The vampire explained and then remained silent for a few minutes. The only sound being Chungyeol’s breathing.</p><p>“I accept.” Chungyeol then breathed making the vampire smile and nod at him.</p><p>“It will hurt a bit.” The other said and the next second Chungyeol felt his arms and legs being freed, for a few seconds later he felt like falling but then he noticed he was actually being carried on the vampire’s back, they were already running through the streets of the capital at an unimaginable speed.</p><p>The vampire took Chungyeol to a small shack near the outskirts, with everything in darkness Chungyeol could only feel himself being laid on a comfortable cloth on the floor. “I will drink your blood and then give you my own afterwards.” The vampire said.</p><p>“Whatever.” Chungyeol replied nonchalantly. He shut his eyes expecting the pain the vampire had said before, but what he felt as the fangs pierced the skin of his neck was the total opposite, to the point he was moaning in pleasure.</p><p>Slowly he felt more and more dizzy and his senses more and more distant. “Drink.” He faintly heard before he felt something being placed over his mouth and a thick liquid pouring on his tongue. There was no thought as his mouth sucked on whatever it was, he drank the thing and with a vague mind noticed it was blood. Sweet blood.</p><p>Only after the thing was taken from his mouth did the pain start. At first he felt his whole body was burning. He felt like burning alive yet he couldn’t move. He couldn’t make a sound. Then the burning sensation ceased, being replaced by dull numbness and then complete darkness.</p><p>Chungyeol opened his eyes hours later. He was breathing slowly and this throat was burning with thirst. “Here starts your requiem.” A slightly familiar voice sounded next to him and he turned to its owner. He came face to face with a dark blond, tall, skinny guy. His skin was deadly pale and his irises were vivid red as he remembered from the faint light of the previous night.</p><p>“You never told me your name.” Chungyeol spoke, his voice was perfect, no signs of the torture trauma. Surprised with the smoothness of his voice he looked down at himself, all his wounds were completely healed, the skin was smooth and flawless.</p><p>He heard a chuckle and immediately turned to the vampire in front of him. “My name… I forgot my name. My sire, though, calls me Daroll.” The vampire said with an angelic smile and a very calm soft voice. For the first time in his life Chungyeol didn’t know what to say or how to start a conversation. He had too many questions, but above all he was too thirsty to think rationally.</p><p>“Right now it’s close to sunset, you’ve slept for the whole day. For a while you’ll have to sleep during the day,” Daroll suddenly stated. “With time you’ll need less time to sleep and with my help you will be able to walk under the sun for short whiles until it will no longer bother you.”</p><p>Hearing that Chungyeol widened his eyes. “For real?” he questioned simply, gaining a nod from the elder vampire.</p><p>“That needs practice and patience. But you’re strong willed, I’m sure you’ll be able to in a few decades.” Chungyeol snorted hearing that. Sure you can’t expect to be omnipotent just because you became a vampire.</p><p>“I’m thirsty.” Chungyeol complained standing up. The ache in his throat was pretty much annoying.</p><p>“I bet you are and you’ll need much blood to satisfy it. I am against the principle of a vampire killing humans while feeding. Not many share this thought, and you shall follow on my rule, as I am your master now. You shall not kill innocent humans.” Daroll spoke with authority and strangely Chungyeol felt compelled to obey. The sensation made him feel uneasy, he had lost his free will for real.</p><p>“That’s not what we agreed.” He frowned as he replied, angriness sipping over his tone as he started to feel betrayed, fooled actually.</p><p>Daroll stood up and went to the window, pushing aside the cloth covering it, it was blocking the sun from getting in. Reflexively Chungyeol moved from the cloth to the side of the room the sun wouldn’t illuminate, but it proved unnecessary as there was no sun, just the familiar brightness from the setting sun.</p><p>“Just a bit more and we’ll be able to go out,” Daroll said and Chungyeol growled at him thinking it meant they would leave to who knows where and the rebels he had been leading would find death not long after. “Take it easy, Chungyeol. I’m not breaking our deal. After you freed the people that trust you, we will leave. I’ll go with you to the palace, to give you some back up. Do you have a plan?” Daroll then explained letting the cloth fall and the darkness reign once again inside the house. Yet Chungyeol could still perfectly see as if it was day.</p><p>“Kill Woobum of course. He is the only one I want dead,” Chungyeol growled a moment after. “My throat is aching so much. What is this sweet scent coming from everywhere?” he asked after noticing it was the smell making him in pain.</p><p>“Being a new-born vampire your sense of smell is highlighted. You smell the citizen’s blood,” Daroll answered walking to where Chungyeol was standing and placing his hands on the other’s shoulders. “The first time you’ll feed you’ll most likely drink to the last drop a human has, but after that you’ll be able to control yourself and feed periodically. I’ll help you with that. You are now way faster than a human and much stronger, but you have weaknesses you can’t overcome right away. The sun will burn you to ashes, so for the first few years, you’ll have to hide from it. Fire has pretty much the same effect, so be careful of torches.”</p><p>After he said that he let go of Chungyeol to sit on the cloth. “Once we leave this city you’ll meet countless vampires, don’t trust any of them. Because you’ve just been transformed you are stronger than a few vampires, but you are inexperienced with your powers. For a while you’ll have to be humble, and the only one you shall trust is me.”</p><p>Chungyeol raised an eyebrow at those words. “Why shall I trust you? For all I know you can be just using me.” The younger retorted, making Daroll smile.</p><p>“You’re right, I am using you. If we fail we’ll find death for a second time.” The elder said looking at Chungyeol and smiling sadly. The younger felt a shiver run up his spine.</p><p>Daroll kept on explaining more things about Chungyeol’s new powers until he deemed it was late enough for them to leave. All the citizens were already asleep as well as most of the people at the palace. The moment they stepped out of the old shack, Daroll told Chungyeol to jump to the roof and right after he just took action jumping himself. Slightly hesitant Chungyeol jumped after him and felt amazed how powerful his legs had become.</p><p>“Lead the way. I will follow you and if you fall for temptation I will stop you.” Daroll then said making Chungyeol snort.</p><p>“Temptation?” he asked incredulously to which Daroll just smiled knowingly.</p><p>Chungyeol did as he was ordered and jumped back to the streets running as fast as he could. The sense of speed was incredible and he felt as if he was practically flying but the nearer he got to the palace the more he understood what temptations the older vampire was talking about. Suddenly a very delicious smell caught his attention and he promptly changed course to follow the scent but before he knew it Daroll was already pinning him on the ground.</p><p>“Focus. You’ll have your first feed soon, but feed on the right person. He may have a bad taste to you but the lord shall be your first meal.” The sire spoke in a hurry and Chungyeol noticed that despite being experienced, as he had stated before, he was having a hard time to restrain the newborn Chungyeol.</p><p>Daroll smiled as Chungyeol ceased breathing, the younger had closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to clear his mind. He was waiting for the familiar ache and need to breath but it never came, after two minutes or so he opened his eyes again amazed.</p><p>“Of course there’s no need for you to breathe, now it’s just a weapon you can dispose of.” Chungyeol nodded fully understanding his sire. With no need to breath it was easier to block the smell of blood, but when he would need to hunt or to fight his enhanced sense of smell would be crucial.</p><p>Daroll helped Chungyeol to his feet and they resumed their run to the palace, Chungyeol didn’t try to breathe again anymore. The moment they reached the palace wall, Chungyeol could see how imperfect the stone actually was. Without saying anything Daroll started to climb on it but much slower than what he had done the night before, obviously trying to show his progeny how to do it.</p><p>Chungyeol imitated the movement and soon they were both jumping down to the ground on the other side and running again to the inside of the luxurious palace. They had seen a few guards but they never knew what had hit them, so once they were both in the lord’s bedroom Chungyeol snorted. “I’ve spent almost eight years trying to get inside this place and I even cross-dressed to have access. And now I get here in mere minutes.”</p><p>Daroll chuckled. The first amused sound Chungyeol heard from the older. “You were human. That’s understandable.” The blond had said and looked seriously at him.</p><p>“What upsets me is that that bastard will feel good while I feed,” He said remembering how he had felt as Daroll had feed on him. “Wasn’t it supposed to be really painful?” he asked belatedly, making Daroll smile mischievously.</p><p>“I didn’t want to hurt you, so I made the bite pleasurable. You can make him feel like each limb is being torn from his body.” Hearing that Chungyeol smirked.</p><p>“That sounds good to me.” He said before walking to the sleeping lord. Chungyeol sat on the bed and then softly caressed the hateful man’s cheek. “Wake up, my lord.” He urged.</p><p>The man stirred in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes only to be shocked at seeing Chungyeol with not a single mark of the wounds caused the day before. Before the old man could say anything Chungyeol had taken a firm hold of the man’s throat. “Missed me?” he mocked.</p><p>The man was shivering and his eyes were wide, he opened his mouth trying both to speak and breathe, so Chungyeol loosed his hold a bit. “What? I can’t hear you.” He mocked again.</p><p>“You… were supposed to… be dead!” the man managed to say making Chungyeol look apologetically at him but then he smiled soon after.</p><p>“Well I am. But not the way you wanted me to be.” He then said taking in a deep breath. The smell of the blood and the quick beat of the lord’s heart made Chungyeol’s throat hurt like hell. It took a fraction of second for the lord to start shouting in anguish. Chungyeol was making him feel all the pain he felt while in torture only three times as bad.</p><p>The lord’s cries made a few guards they hadn’t knocked out come to his aid but the, moment they entered the chamber, it was too late, Chungyeol was letting go of the dead body, his eyes shining red as he looked at the arrived meal. He was still thirsty. The guards shouted in panic and attempted to run away but Chungyeol managed to grab one and sink in fangs at the victim. The poor man started to shout in pain, but then Chungyeol felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped drinking only to growl at the other vampire.</p><p>Daroll, though, was not affected by the warning. “I let you take your revenge, but this soldier is innocent. Be gentle.” Chungyeol felt the power Daroll’s orders had on him. As he resumed drinking the man was not shouting but also not feeling anything. Daroll smiled, it was Chungyeol’s right not to offer pleasure.</p><p>After a few beats of the victim’s heart Daroll ordered Chungyeol to stop. “You drank enough, even though you don’t feel like it. Stop. If you drink more he’ll die, get another prey if you wish.” He instructed and Chungyeol nodded letting go.</p><p>They left the palace that was now in turmoil. The soldiers had all run to get themselves torches to fight against the vampire, but before the two bloodsuckers were gone Chungyeol left a message by shouting loud and clear. “If you don’t choose a lord I can approve off, I’ll kill each of them! Trust the words of Kim Chungyeol!”</p><p>The two vampires ran, Daroll ordering him to follow this time. They got into the forest and ran for a very long time until they reached a cave hidden in the forest. “Here you’ll be protected from the sun. I have to make sure to find a safe place to hide at the capital.” Daroll said inspecting the cave.</p><p>“I thought you had said we would leave after this.” Chungyeol enquired, his tone that tad bit sad his threat had been empty back then.</p><p>“The deal was for you to free the people that trusts you, and you were right, if they don’t choose a righteous human to be the lord, they are still not free. Until then you’ll keep your word of killing whoever wrong choice they make.” Daroll said with a monotonous tone. Right then, Chungyeol decided that his sire was someone he could trust with all his heart.</p><p>Chungyeol opened his eyes to his second night as a vampire and stared at the cave giving him shelter. Immediately he sensed a vampire nearby and sat in a flash, growling. But the sound died halfway as he recognized Daroll.</p><p>“You have to get used to my scent and my presence, Chungyeol,” The elder vampire said before calmly walking towards his progeny. “I got us a house at the city closest to the capital, you’ll be able to monitor it from there.”</p><p>And that simple statement had put Chungyeol’s new ‘life’ into motion. For the next two years the two vampires kept on living in the small city while Chungyeol learned how to move with his new speed, how to fight with his new weapons. At first he was amazed when Daroll had handed him a shining silvery sword saying it was made of platinum. Back then Daroll had said that had been his first sword.</p><p>The grip area was carved with strange symbols Chungyeol couldn’t read, the cross guard had dragons sculpted while the pommel was a small ring and a beautiful talisman was firmly attached to it. Chungyeol inspected the talisman curiously and Daroll had told him it was just for decoration. The younger vampire still liked the vivid red color contrasting with the silvery weapon. Only much later did he learn that talisman was meant to turn evil into good by influence of a water dragon God and understood why Daroll had always called it Water Dragon.</p><p>Chungyeol kept true to his words in the palace and only when his second in command was appointed as the feud lord and his rules proved to give the people a better life did Daroll tell him to leave. With a heavy heart Chungyeol left the land he had grown up in. “If we succeed in setting me free, you’ll be able to come back.” Daroll’s words gave him a small hope, but how long would it take for him to come back?</p><p>It took another sixty years for that to happen. Sixty years that taught him his sire had to be an angel, not a vampire. Domenic, Daroll’s sire, was a kindred full of hatred against the human kind, he missed no opportunity to torture humans before feeding, Chungyeol had wished to kill the kindred himself when Daroll told him he had been tortured as well, and because he had fought to the very end, his sire deemed him worth becoming his slave as a vampire.</p><p>It took the two just sixty years, actually, for Daroll to be technically freed. Sixty years in which Chungyeol learned about the dragon spells, slowly got used to less need for sleep with them and also got used to walking under the rising and setting sun.</p><p>At first, once they were back at the mansion the coven used to hide in, Chungyeol couldn’t understand why Daroll had been so cautious about them using the spells, but then he understood. Domenic had forbidden his servants to learn the spells because only he had access to the magical scrolls. Nobody knew Daroll had his own copies and neither that he had mastered most of the spells. They had to play dumb in order to not be hunted down.</p><p>The first chords of Daroll’s freedom started to play when his sire couldn’t keep himself awake anymore, once every century the old vampire would sleep for three days and the day he was supposed to do so, Daroll had been chosen to keep guard of his bedroom’s door.</p><p>“Chungyeol, during the afternoon, the sun hits his room straight, it will be at that time that we’ll attack. I’ll enter the room and you’ll guard the door.” Daroll had instructed and Chungyeol had just nodded. Killing humans was easy, but killing Kindreds was much more challenging. He hoped it would be easier if the opponent were sleeping.</p><p>The moment Daroll’s sire fell asleep in the morning, the two approached the door, when Chungyeol was questioned about being there he said he just wanted to keep his sire company. The young vampire had learned to act as a humble servant, had chewed on his pride many times. He had made a very long list of fellow coven members he would love to burn out, but he bowed his head and let them mock him. The two had to pass off the most innocent and harmless aura in order for their plan to work.</p><p>The hours had seemed to pass too slowly for the two, but at the right time, when most of the vampires were either asleep or hiding from the sun, Daroll sneaked in the room and Chungyeol took position in front of it.</p><p>Inside everything was dark and even for Daroll it was hard to distinguish the furniture and his path to his sire. Daroll watched for a moment Domenic sleeping, his face was serene and had no trace of his cruelty. That fact angered the rather young vampire if compared with his sire.</p><p>Daroll slowly moved his coat to pull out a long small knife, its blade had a very accented resemblance to a stake. With a fast movement he raised the weapon up his head and then put all his resentment into stabbing his sire at the heart. But something got out of the plan. Gerard, the kindred his sire trusted the most, was right beside Daroll and he had taken a firm hold of the other’s wrist preventing the blade from even touching his sire’s clothes.</p><p>“You traitor!” Gerard growled but Daroll quickly pulled out one of his swords and attacked the other, forcing his enemy to let go and evade the new blade. He cursed as he took a step back and then saw Daroll spinning to get his sword hit his opponent at the side. Gerard had intended to use his sword to block Daroll’s but movement behind him had forced him to dodge yet another attack, because Chungyeol had also entered the room to give his sire aid.</p><p>“What the hell?! You’re also betraying our sire?” Gerard growled angrily at Chungyeol who just smirked.</p><p>“I have only one sire, and that is Daroll, I only know loyalty to him.” The younger vampire reasoned positioning himself between his foe and the vampire he swore to protect. The two growled at each other and then stepped forward. The sounds of metal hitting metal were clear. Meanwhile Daroll had lost no time to use his small knife to stab Domenic in the heart, Gerard growled at Daroll once the he reached to their sire and sank his fangs in the stacked vampire’s neck.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing?!” Gerard shouted, trying to shove Chungyeol away but the younger vampire was still as strong as a newborn vampire and had an excellent fighting stance. He had been acting to be clumsy and bad holding a sword when in truth he was a talented sword master. Chungyeol stood his ground not allowing Gerard to get close to Daroll. Gerard felt extremely frustrated for not being able to shove Chungyeol away like he would usually do, even more as the youngest vampire used his full strength to pin him against the wall. He had been completely misled by the two.</p><p>As the seconds ticked by, Daroll would drink more and more of his sire’s blood, he felt the already weak flux getting weaker till the flow stopped completely. “Daroll?” Chungyeol asked because at that point his sire was not going as they had planned. After drinking the blood he was supposed to recite a spell that would merge his soul to Domenic’s soul and this way gaining control of the entire coven. But Daroll said nothing, only pulled his sword again and used it to cut his sire’s head with one precise and strong move.</p><p>Gerard growled louder and footsteps were heard approaching the room. They had failed. It was the only thought coming to Chungyeol and for a second he doubted his sire’s sincerity. But Daroll quickly moved to the window and pulled open the heavy curtains allowing the sun to shine over the decapitated body.</p><p>The world seemed to stop turning for the fraction of time it took for the sun to burn out Daroll and Gerard’s sire to ashes. Gerard watched in horror as the sun had absolutely no effect over Daroll who was smiling victoriously at him. Chungyeol had moved to the darkest part of the room because he sun would still hurt him and so did Gerard.</p><p>“Drop your weapon, Gerard, and swear loyalty to my name.” Daroll said with a calm tone.</p><p>Chungyeol watched incredulous as ordered vampire trembled before letting go of his sword and dropped on his knees. “I swear my loyalty to you, Daroll.”</p><p>Daroll closed the curtains once again and ordered Chungyeol to come to his side. “I thought we had failed.” Chungyeol murmured to his sire as he stood right beside him.</p><p>“I’ll explain later.” With fast moves Daroll pulled the curtains again, but this time forcing them off the wall to fall over Chungyeol, covering him as a thick black cloak.</p><p>Gerard inched even closer to the wall growling, not a second later the door was opened and the vampire’s that came in halted because of the sun. Their sire knew all the dragon spells, but had only allowed them to master the spell that would allow them to be awake during the day. None of them could walk under the sun and not be harmed like their master. Once again Daroll had been wiser than his fellow coven members, Domenic had forbidden them from reading the scrolls in his library, but not the scrolls from other libraries.</p><p>Daroll had found copies of the scrolls on his walks around the territories of other vampires and made full use of them. He had hoped to convince one or two of his coven members into rebellion but soon understood his dream to be free wouldn’t happen because he was the only one dreaming about that. At first, he had taken the time spent on mastering the spells as wasted, but after finding Chungyeol, he knew they were not in vain.</p><p>The new six kindred were looking with hatred at Daroll, but he just kept on smiling. “I’ve killed your previous sire and claimed from him your sirehood, I am your new sire. Swear loyalty to my name.” He ordered still calmly.</p><p>Once again Chungyeol watched as they trembled in hesitation before dropping on their knees, saying at the same time. “I swear loyalty to my sire, Daroll.”</p><p>“The seven of you, I order you to kill all the vampires of the coven that are sleeping, as well as whoever is still awake, you are the only chosen ones. From today onwards till the last moment of your requiems you shall obey whatever I say, as well as whatever Chungyeol orders of you, his words shall be considered as mine.” He ordered with a very slow speech, having each word to have effect on them.</p><p>Hearing the latter part of the order Chungyeol smirked. The seven vampires bowed to them and after a short ‘go’ from Chungyeol they left to obey the orders given to them. When only Chungyeol and Daroll were left in the room the older vampire sighed. The younger was about to question what exactly had happened but Daroll opened the window and jumped on the railing. “I’ll explain later, we have to run,” He said shortly looking at Chungyeol with a caring smile. “Make sure this curtain will protect you from the sun. Just follow me for now.” He said before jumping to the lower roof nearby.</p><p>Chungyeol sensed a great amount of danger in those words and just did as he was told. He secured the curtain around himself and jumped after his sire. The two of them ran as fast as they could away from the city they lived at for quite a long time for Chungyeol. The younger vampire also noticed they were going east, running in the direction of his homeland,. He felt a sudden bolt of joy to be able to go back home, but at one point they would have to turn south to really reach the place yet Daroll just kept on going east.</p><p>“Wait!” Chungyeol shouted confused and slightly desolated.</p><p>Daroll stopped and turned slowly to look at his progeny, his one and only progeny. “For a moment I thought we were going back to my feud… where are you going?” Chungyeol asked.</p><p>“Chungyeol, I am not their sire. For a while Domenic’s blood will flow in my veins and they will react to it, but at one point the influence will disappear and they will come to kill me. I am free, Chungyeol, so are you. If they find you, you’ll be safe because of my order, for as long as the bond is still there, after that you’ll have to fight as well.” Daroll explained and Chungyeol understood their hesitance before swearing loyalty to his name.</p><p>Chungyeol looked back at the path that would lead him home. He remembered the first day he had met Daroll’s sire. The old kindred was not exactly pleased to see one of his progeny getting himself one and most of all without his permission, but he had always taken Daroll to be the most inoffensive, so he allowed Chungyeol’s existence to ‘keep Daroll company’. Domenic had ordered, though, for Chungyeol to swear loyalty to him as his sire and negating Daroll that position.</p><p>“I swear loyalty to my sire’s sire.” Chungyeol had said. The old kindred believed the trick had been done, but before that audience Daroll had instructed Chungyeol that vows were a serious deal to vampires, and that vows could be broken as long as the right words had been spoken previously. Chungyeol had vowed ‘to swear solely to Daroll, vows to anyone else would be dust in the wind.’ Therefore the vow given to Daroll’s sire had absolutely no effect on Chungyeol.</p><p>“We have a deal. You helped me free the people that trusted me, I help you free yourself from your master. After that I am my own master.” Chungyeol said still not looking at Daroll. Hearing that, the older vampire gave his back to the younger and started to run again.</p><p>To his surprise Chungyeol started following him once more. It made Daroll stop and stare in disbelief at the younger as he also stopped, the question clear in his expression. Chungyeol smirked before explaining himself. “You’re not free yet. For as long as your sire’s progeny comes after you to kill you, you won’t be free from your oppressive master. Until all of them are dead you are still my master.” Chungyeol explained causing Daroll to hold the younger in a tight embrace full of emotion.</p><p>Chungyeol wouldn’t admit yet that Daroll had become much more than just his progenitor, he had turned into an older brother, a brother Chungyeol would protect and be loyal to for the rest of his requiem.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tweede Lied – The Second Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was by that time that Chungyeol came to understand there was an intricate hierarchy in the kindred world and he was part of the weakest group, those that obeyed a sire. Daroll was now in a group above his, those that responded to no sire. But above them were the ones called Princes, something like a Feud Lord and above them were the vampires of a council, also called the Antediluvians, the ones that supposedly were the very first vampires, and those responded to no-one.</p><p>Because Chungyeol was a young and strong vampire the Prince would often order him out on missions so it felt strange for Daroll to not have Chungyeol around all the time. Despite surviving over a millennia alone, the kind kindred found himself deeply attached to his progeny. The depth of this feeling scared Daroll, but at the same time he was thankful for it, because it proved he still had human emotions in him. After roughly ten years after killing his sire, Daroll had the opportunity to seal his freedom. But at the same time a new melody started to play in his requiem.</p><p>Chungyeol had been out for around four days. Daroll knew it meant Chungyeol would have to be back soon from his mission because he avoided at any cost to sleep away from his sire. They only trusted each other, therefore sleep alone was out of question. Because of that Daroll was not expecting the visit he received at a moonless night during summer. Gerard had found him. Daroll was training his new horse at the fields when he was attacked. Well approached was a better description.</p><p>“Gerard.” Daroll greeted as he saw the vampire running in his direction, no arms in sight, there were two other vampires with him that he recognized as his sire’s servants as well, their names were Leona and Erril.</p><p>“Daroll.” Gerard greeted back, kneeling down. “I finally found you, sire.” He had said in a very calm and humble tone. The tone Daroll had always used in front of his sire.</p><p>“Did you complete my order?” Daroll questioned then, suspicious that those vampires would still be under his influence. He hoped they would still be.</p><p>“Yes, my sire.” Gerard replied still not looking up, exactly the way Daroll had always acted in all those centuries they knew each other.</p><p>“Where are the other four?” Daroll asked with a light frown. Leona and Erril were not looking directly at him, they were just imitating Gerard and keeping themselves mute.</p><p>“Two days ago we’ve met Chungyeol on the way here. The other four stayed with him.” Gerard said and Daroll could feel the air around him turning colder.</p><p>“That’s good,” Daroll decided to play along. “Then I have a new order for you.” He trailed off waiting for a reply.</p><p>“Anything, my sire.” Gerard replied as he expected.</p><p>“Kill yourselves.” Daroll ordered and the three of them looked up with hatred at him, not being able to keep the farce any longer. Daroll just smirked at them trying to seal away the worry he felt for his progeny’s wellbeing. In fact Daroll could never dream with what had happened to Chungyeol.</p><p>The younger vampire was already going back home, carrying with him a case holding a relic the Prince had ordered him to find in the Houzou country. Chungyeol had an extraordinary sense of smell, therefore he was a natural tracker and his ability to walk in the sun with the proper protection allowed him to travel faster than most vampires living in that region. In short Prince Adrian had favored Daroll and his progeny in a very short while.</p><p>Chungyeol was passing by a small Houzou village almost by the sunrise, if he would be able to run a bit faster he would be able to reach the next village by the border not long after the sun was up. He felt his body moved slower than before because it had been too long since the last time he had slept and he knew he really needed a whole day of slumber to get back in a proper fit.</p><p>Yet his plans of safely arriving at his secure hide-out were ruined by an anguished cry from a human kid. Shortly after the sound, he felt the most delicious scent he had ever smelled. Together with his original thirst, that he was also trying to block, it made his throat burn like never before. He couldn’t control himself so he followed the scent as well as the constant cries and pleas for help.</p><p>Two streets to the left he faced two vampires torturing a boy. No wonder the smell was so good, kids had always tasted so much better than adults. But something made Chungyeol freeze. The smells were clear at that point. He had smelled Gerard and two other vampires heading south, heading to the place he had been going, although still very close. Aside from them, there were two feeding nearby on a woman and a man and the other two torturing the boy. He had recognized all those disgusting smells. The two with Gerard were no doubt Erril and Leona, the two attacking the couple were Neelahn and Erik, while Henrik and Simon were attacking the boy.</p><p>He didn’t really think much as he growled at the two in front of him, immediately taking his sword and attacking the closest to him: Simon. The two vampires were surprised with Chungyeol’s arrival at the scene but soon were also holding their weapons. The human kid was thrown against a wall, Chungyeol heard the whimpers and the sobs. He growled again because of those.</p><p>In normal circumstances he would have been able to win easily against those two, but it was not a normal situation as he was weaker than usual and feeling the drowsiness come to him as the sunrise was nearing. The situation became worse when Neelahn and Henrik approached and started fighting him as well.</p><p>Chungyeol tried his best to dodge and counter-attack. He had managed to steal one of Erik’s swords but the unfamiliarity with the sword’s weight didn’t allow him to use it to its fullest. From the corner of his eyes he saw Gerard and the other two had come back but they were just watching amused. He remembered he could try to order them around but the glints of revenge in their eyes were telling him it wouldn’t work.</p><p>“Bring his head. I want to show it to Daroll before I kill him.” Gerard said to the ones fighting Chungyeol and it made the younger vampire shiver with hatred. There was something Chungyeol had noticed whenever he dared to look in Daroll’s eyes; his sire would let him go whenever without questioning, but if Chungyeol would ever appear dead in front of him his sire wouldn’t go on. Chungyeol felt a new wave of power come to him as Gerard resumed his run towards Daroll, laughing diabolically. He would never allow Gerard to win. Absolutely never.</p><p>With fast movements Chungyeol stabbed the closest vampire to him that happened to be Simon again, not allowing his foe to get away. With his other hand he decapitated said vampire with slight difficulty. He heard growls of protest from the other three and then felt himself being thrown against a wall. He heard the human boy cry again in panic and then remembered the relic he was carrying.</p><p>He spit the blood in his mouth and then stood up with some difficulty. He let go of the weapon he had stolen and then moved Water Dragon to the other hand. The three vampires snickered at him questioning why he was throwing away his weapons. His nonchalant reply made the three very angry. “That piece of trash? I have something much better.” He said and with a trembling hand he undid the knot of the lower part of the case he was carrying on his back.</p><p>A sword dropped on his hand. He took a firm hold of the sword grip and moved it completely out. The three vampires eyed Chungyeol with surprise and disbelief. He was holding a Bloody Sword, a rare weapon said to be permanently stained in antediluvian blood, in other words blood from one of the very first kindred to ever exist, one of the most powerful ones. It was said to cut kindred’s flesh as a normal bread knife would cut butter.</p><p>The moment Chungyeol looked up at them, they all took a step back, his eyes were glowing as if he had just fed. His face was even paler and the smirk on his lips was the scariest they had ever seen on him.</p><p>The next second a head was flying off. The sword had also restored Chungyeol’s strength and speed, he felt like he had just woken up from a peaceful full day sleep. It was safe to say the remaining two didn’t even know what was going on, but Chungyeol loved the despair on their face as he started to cut them to pieces. Hesitation is the worst that could happen to a vampire in a fight. First he cut off their hands and legs, then the rest of the arms until finally he had cut their heads off.</p><p>It didn’t take much for Chungyeol to be standing over a pool of blood and mutilated bodies. He felt an extra strong thirst hit him, the delicious scent reached him again and he slowly turned to the terrified boy looking at him with wide eyes. He hissed at the human boy.</p><p>The sun broke in the street as Chungyeol started to walk towards the boy who inched even closer to the wall as if wishing to blend himself with it. “Please… don’t kill me…” the boy asked. Those words seemed to wake Chungyeol from a reverie. ‘You shall never kill innocent humans’ Daroll’s words came to his mind. He stopped dead in his tracks and then let go of the Bloody Sword as if it had burned him. That sword could only be held by those filled with hatred and wish to kill.</p><p>The boy started to breathe faster as Chungyeol sank on his knees holding to his throat with an expression filled with pain. The boy wanted to run away but he couldn’t move. Chungyeol turned to the side to look at the sunlight that was slowly reaching him. The boy looked at it as well and felt like he would be safe in a bit, but a frown appeared on his face as the sun bathed Chungyeol with its light. The vampires on the ground were all turning into ashes but Chungyeol was just itching in pain, so weak that even the sun that was not supposed to hurt him anymore was doing so.</p><p>He looked at the human boy and then asked with a small voice. “Help me.” He tried to stand up untied the case with the intention to put the sword back in it, but as he tried to hold it again he felt it burning his skin, much more painful than before. With shaking hands the boy approached him and took hold of the sword, thoughts of killing the vampire with it crossed his mind but he couldn’t do that, hesitantly he put it back into the case and then tied it closed.</p><p>“I need to hide, from the sun. I need to sleep.” The vampire told the boy thankful for the help, smiling at the kid to reassure he was safe. The boy was surprised because under the sunlight like that Chungyeol looked like any other human, gravely wounded but just like a human. Even his eyes that before were scary red, now were just a soft calm brown.</p><p>The boy helped Chungyeol to a house nearby. The vampire didn’t pay much attention to the lack of furniture, the moment he was helped to a heap of straw mattress on the floor he fell asleep. His last thought was a hope to wake up and be able to go save his sire.</p><p>Chungyeol slept safely for a whole day. As the sun was setting, his eyes fluttered open. Just like on the first day he woke up as a vampire, his throat was hurting like hell and the smells coming from outside made his thirst extremely painful. He slowly sat up and looked around. The room he was in was completely dark, there was a big piece of cloth covering a window, a small table and three chairs.</p><p>There was a sound of a door opening and closing and then painful sobs of a human child. Chungyeol felt alarmed and cautiously headed to the closed door of his room. He ceased breathing just to make sure he wouldn’t hurt the boy.</p><p>When he pulled the door open he found himself at the front of a tailor’s shop. The young boy was crying heading to him not noticing the vampire’s presence. “What’s your name?” Chungyeol asked making the boy jump in fear, wide eyes looking at the vampire. “I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your parents?” he asked in concern but hearing the second question the boy started crying again.</p><p>“Killed… last night… alone…” the boy sobbed making Chungyeol hiss, scaring the kid again. The vampire shook his head walking to the boy and pulling him into an embrace, it could not be a warm one but he hoped it would be of some comfort.</p><p>First the boy was surprised but then held the vampire back. He knew the other was a monster, but monsters don’t save your life and hold you like that. “I’m sorry. If I had been stronger.” Chungyeol lamented making the boy feel even more confused.</p><p>“What’s your name?” Chungyeol asked again pulling the boy away, but still holding on to him. “J-Jia.” the boy answered with slight hesitation.</p><p>Chungyeol smiled. “My name is Chungyeol. Thank you, Jia, for protecting me from the sun.” Hearing those words the boy finally gave the vampire a small smile.</p><p>“I…” Jia started unsure. “My life is yours for you to dispose of.” The kid continued after taking in a deep breath, his father had taught him those words, they were a principle of serving those that directly affected their lives. And indeed Chungyeol felt surprised but he pondered the words. Those poor humans tended to do that, serve as a slave for those who happened to save their lives. Jia was a kid, now orphan, he would probably become someone’s slave or die one way or another. Chungyeol felt himself responsible for the kid.</p><p>“Jia, three of my enemies want to kill someone very important to me, I need to go help this someone. But, right now, I am weak, I need blood. I will drink your blood and then fall asleep again for the day, tomorrow by the sunset I’ll leave, but I will come back to take you with me when I deem things are safe. You shall wait for me, ok?” Chungyeol explained softly, there was fear in Jia’s eyes at the mention of the feeding, but the kid nodded in acceptance.</p><p>Chungyeol took hold of his thin hands and then pulled him back to the room he had been sleeping in. Once he was settled onto the straw mattresses he made Jia sit on his lap. “It won’t hurt. I promise.” Chungyeol reassured but Jia did not believe him. The kid watched as Chungyeol opened his mouth showing off his fangs. He shut his eyes tightly as he felt the teeth brushing his skin of his neck, and when he expected to feel pain he felt giddy, his mind clouded and he could swear the one holding him was not the vampire but his father. There was absolutely no pain just the serene feel of being held by someone he loved. Chungyeol had never done that before, indulge the human to feel good, he had only made them feel nothingness but that boy deserved to be treated in a special way.</p><p>The heartbeat weakened and as the seconds passed the boy felt more and more drowsy, he had just a distant feel of Chungyeol’s tongue licking his skin and then he fell asleep. Chungyeol made sure to guard the boy’s sleep. The next morning the vampire recited the dragon spells and then fell asleep. On his turn, Jia spent the whole day sitting beside the vampire, ignoring the people knocking on his door.</p><p>The next sunset Chungyeol woke up feeling his strength at notch once again, his throat was not hurting that much, he would need to drink blood soon, but he could pass on it, yet the extremely sweet and delicious scent in the room made his decision of just run to his sire waver.</p><p>Jia was looking at him still with slightly scared eyes, the boy was tense and apprehensive, but seemed to relax a bit once the vampire opened his eyes. “Jia, were you taking care of my sleep?” Chungyeol asked with a small thankful smile. Jia just nodded. “Are you hungry?” Chungyeol asked again as he sat up slowly. Jia nodded again. “Would you mind giving me dinner?” he asked with a teasing tone and the boy looked at everywhere but at Chungyeol, after a short moment he shook his head, sneaking closer.</p><p>But Chungyeol just messed his hair. “You’re too weak. I’ll feed on your blood when I come to pick you up again. Let’s go to the tavern.” Jia looked at the vampire incredulous, which just made Chungyeol smirk.</p><p>The two exited the tailor’s shop and walked up the street under the still strong setting sun. Jia was in the least amazed at seeing a vampire walking under the sun and politely greeting the people that passed him by. Chungyeol had his clothes gashed from the fight but no-one would question his noble status. Once the two entered the tavern that also was an inn, Chungyeol walked to the man behind the counter. “How may I help you, sir?” the old man asked with an exaggerated bow.</p><p>“This boy had saved my life a few nights back and for the day he has taken care of me. I have urgent business to attend and right now I can’t take him with me.” Chungyeol replied nonchalantly putting a small bag of gold coins up the counter. “Until I am back, you are to give him the best room for him to sleep and feed him with the best food you have. If you spend more on him I’ll pay the difference when I am back. If I return and do not find him, you’re dead.” He threatened the man as if he was asking for a glass of wine.</p><p>Scared, the old man looked at the thin twelve years old boy he had seen grow up and thought to himself Jia found good luck after losing his parents so tragically. “As you order, my Lord.” The old man took the small bag and then asked if he could take them to the best room in the inn. Jia walked behind the man while Chungyeol followed the two. After inspecting the room he was not satisfied but it was indeed a very small town.</p><p>Before he left, Chungyeol gave one last instruction to Jia. “You shall keep our secret. I promise to take care of you. Wait ‘till I am back and if anyone treats you badly in here do tell me when I am back. They will regret it.” Jia nodded with a small smile. He really wanted to believe that vampire, but there was a voice in his head saying he would not see that guy anymore.</p><p>Chungyeol left hoping his sire was still ok. He ran as fast as he could trying to avoid the cities, when the sun started to shine stronger he covered himself with the thick black cloak and continued to run, fighting his discomfort from the heat. The night was already advanced when he reached the city near the ocean. For a moment he felt like his heart was beating again so anxious he was feeling for his sire’s wellbeing.</p><p>But he needed not to worry, because the moment Gerard, Leona and Erril pulled out their swords, Daroll had already climbed down the horse and was sending it back to the main house. Leona was the first to attack him aiming her sword to cut his arm. But Daroll dodged as if he was dancing, a movement elegant and fast. His hands sneaked to take off his two swords. Two long thin blades connected by the pommel by a thin long chain. One sword was made of silver the other one made of platinum. He affectionately called it Yin-Yang.</p><p>The three enemies surrounded Daroll as if waiting for him to attack first, but the kind kindred only stood his ground without moving. “Don’t make it boring for me.” Daroll teased making Erril, the most short tempered one of them, attack first. Daroll blocked his attack with Yin, while Yang was used to slash his abdomen. Erril stumbled backwards while Leona tried to hit him with her scimitar. Yet Daroll was much faster than the three of them remembered him to be, much more calculative. He seemed to be able to know what they would do even before they did.</p><p>Gerard tried to slash Daroll’s back but when the sword hit him the image vanished like sand carried by the wind. It couldn’t be, that kind of illusion was one of his sire’s favorite tricks. Only Domenic could do that. Surprised, Gerard took a step back and watched as Erril tried to stab Daroll from the front. With a fast movement the coven traitor took a firm hold of Erril’s wrist and forced it further ahead stabbing Leona who was to stab Daroll from the back. The two looked at each other surprised by the move.</p><p>The next second Erril had pulled his sword out while Leona took a step back coughing blood, the sword had perforated her left lung. Before any of the two could get out of the stupor Yang trespassed Erril’s chest making him cough blood as well, afterward Leona shouted a very anguished ‘no’ as Yin decapitated Erril. Daroll stepped back as he watched the body fall on the ground unmoving. Leona shot him a few more curses as she jumped in Daroll’s direction, but her attack hit another illusion made of sand.</p><p>Gerard still couldn’t believe his eyes, the way Daroll was branding his swords and moving was indeed the way he had always fought, but the speed and the illusions could only make him think of his dead sire. With a growl, he moved back into action but he was too slow to be of any aid to Leona. Daroll had already cut off the arm she used to hold her scimitar. While Yin was used to decapitate the female kindred, Yang was used to block Gerard’s attack.</p><p>They jumped apart and looked at each other for a moment. “Let’s end this, Gerard.” Daroll said solemnly, Gerard’s reply was just a distinct growl. The two started slashing on each other, but they were the best warriors Domenic had, even though Daroll had hidden his ability well. None would open up their guard enough. “Too slow.” Daroll snickered at one point causing Gerard to whack the chest of another of his illusions.</p><p>The next second Gerard’s eyes widened as he saw Daroll holding only one of his swords, the blade touching the whole length of Daroll’s arm, his eyes followed the stretched chain only to notice with horror that the other sword was trespassing his neck. Daroll pulled the sword back to him and Gerard fell on the ground unconscious. “I am free.” Daroll said with a bittersweet tone as he cut off Gerard’s head.</p><p>Not long after, Daroll felt movement from the nearby woods, a black form jumped from it running in his direction, but Daroll just slashed the air with fast moments to clean as best as possible his swords from the blood.</p><p>“I’m glad to see you alive.” Daroll greeted.</p><p>“Damn it. I missed all the fun.” Chungyeol said pulling off the cloak and looking at the dead bodies on the ground.</p><p>“What about Simon and the other three?” Daroll asked putting his swords back in their scabbard.</p><p>“Their ashes are dirtying some street of a forgotten small village,” Chungyeol shrugged before getting closer to his sire. “They attacked a couple and their only son. I could only save the boy.” The younger continued with a serious expression. Daroll looked at his progeny in wonder.</p><p>“The kid knows about us?” he asked already knowing the answer.</p><p>Chungyeol nodded slowly. “I won’t kill him just because he knows the secret, he allowed me to feed on him, he took care of me while I slept, not that he could be of any protection, but he could have perfectly tried to kill me and he didn’t. The kid told me with all the letters he would be my slave. I want to take care of him, Daroll. I owe him for not being able to save his parents.”</p><p>Daroll smiled kindly, a vampire would never say such words. He was proud of Chungyeol. He had chosen the right one after all.</p><p>“You want to take responsibility for a human. I am no longer in position to say what you should or should not do,” Daroll replied then, the words sounding bittersweet to him. Chungyeol frowned at his sire not understanding but then he remembered the deal. “The deal is over. I am no longer your sire. I free you, Kim Chungyeol, you are your own master.” The older continued speaking.</p><p>After his Embrace, Chungyeol had thought of that moment a lot throughout the first years, but after over seventy years of serving Daroll, he felt lost now. He shook his head taking a step back. “Daroll, if I hadn’t shown up, what would you have done?” the younger asked with a low tone.</p><p>“I…” Daroll hesitated. “In my requiem I had never trusted other kindred. That was until I found you, until I made you my kid.” The older said then, avoiding the answer. The moment Gerard mentioned Chungyeol the only thing Daroll wanted was for his progeny to be safe, if Chungyeol had not shown up, Daroll would have left everything behind to look for his child.</p><p>“Same goes for me. I trust nobody but you,” Chungyeol replied as he sank on one knee in front of Daroll. “I will serve you, Daroll, till the very last second of my requiem. You are my master and always will be,” The younger said solemnly. “Allow me to remain by your side and fight all of your wars.” He continued wishing with everything he had that Daroll wouldn’t chase him away.</p><p>“I had the dream to be free, Chungyeol. You helped me achieve that. These ten years we’ve been living under Prince Adrian’s orders made me realize I have another dream. Live among the humans in peace. Protect them from kindreds or any other supernatural threat.” Daroll said looking up at the sky.</p><p>“That’s a dream worthy fighting for.” Chungyeol nodded standing up.</p><p>“Let’s go back to your hometown. Let’s go make it our territory.” Daroll nodded smiling thankfully before adding. “When we’re settled we can go back and take the human boy you saved.” Chungyeol smiled then. “I shall go back to Prince Adrian now. After that we can go, right?” Daroll just nodded as reply to the younger’s question.</p><p>The two of them ran back to the capital heading directly to the Prince’s palace. There Chungyeol handed the Bloody Sword to its new master and Daroll informed the prince the two of them decided to go live near the mountains to the south. It was out of Prince Adrian’s feud so the two had to wait three days for the messenger to go to the Prince of that region, requesting the best palace and the best servants to be given the two vampires.</p><p>After receiving that blessing from the Prince, Daroll and Chungyeol promised to attend to any call from him if necessary and then left. Chungyeol couldn’t believe how his homeland had changed in those seventy years, surely for the better. It took the two vampires another three months to settle in the capital in a rather modest farm closer to the forest with the back yard facing the mountains.</p><p>“Daroll, I shall go find Jia and bring him here.” Chungyeol said one afternoon as they were inspecting the fields they now owned and the people working for them. They soon got known as the kindest masters. To the humans the two were brothers with Daroll being the older by a year. Daroll frowned slightly hearing those words.</p><p>“Chungyeol, before you go. I’ve decided to open myself to you. There are things I never explained and a fear I never told you.” The older said with a low tone.</p><p>Chungyeol just frowned waiting for his sire to continue. “When Gerard finally found me I was deadly scared to lose you. You are the only one I am scared to lose and though you’re strong and well trained, you said so yourself; if you had not been carrying that Bloody Sword I would have lost you. Therefore I have a request for you. Tonight you shall drink my blood to a point it would be nearly lethal.” Daroll said with a serious tone.</p><p>It took a while for Chungyeol to process that request but not long after he made his horse turn to the opposite direction to be able to look his sire on the face. “No. That’s how you killed your sire! Why would I risk losing you? Hell no.” he therefore protested just as seriously.</p><p>“You proclaimed me as your master, Chungyeol. If you don’t do as I say I’ll take it as a betrayal. Don’t you trust me?” Daroll retorted making Chungyeol open his mouth to protest.</p><p>“Of course I trust you! But I want an explanation and the reason for me to take such a risk must be really good.” Chungyeol challenged then. Yes, Daroll was his master, and that’s why he wouldn’t do anything to risk the other’s well-being.</p><p>“That day I killed my sire. Do you remember the spell?” Daroll asked then with a small smile Chungyeol’s way. The younger nodded. The spell was supposed to fuse Daroll’s soul with Domenic’s soul, for it to be complete Daroll would have to drink to the last drop of his sire’s vitae and then recite the spell to capture and blend their souls. But the spell had never been made because Daroll didn’t want to fuse his pure soul with a corrupted one. He decided on that at the last moment as he felt he didn’t want control over the coven, he actually wanted all of them dead. Plus the vitae flowing in him gave him power, made him feel much stronger, wiser, he felt himself much older than what he actually was. He felt the sirehood bond with every member of that coven but somehow he knew it wouldn’t last.</p><p>Daroll explained that to Chungyeol, explained the reason: by drinking kindred vitae you become stronger, if the kindred is younger the power acquired is too little, but the older the vitae, the stronger he would be.</p><p>After drinking Domenic’s vitae, Daroll learned that their weakness would turn meaningless, there would come a day they wouldn’t need the dragon spells to walk under the sun, or to resist the fire. That would happen when they would be close to six millennia old. And then Daroll confessed to not be using the spells to protect himself from the sun as often anymore.</p><p>“I’m about a millennium older than you, Chungyeol, Domenic was about three millennia older than me, now I am indirectly about five millennia old. After drinking his blood I gained all his knowledge, all of his powers and abilities. That’s why for a while I could control the coven, I had no need for it, why still corrupt my soul with his? If you drink my blood you’ll gain all I have, this way I’ll be calmer when you have to go away.” Daroll explained.</p><p>Chungyeol would have retorted something to the likes of him not wanting power, but the last part of Daroll’s words opened his eyes. His sire was worried, he had a way to make Chungyeol stronger and was risking his own neck to give it. On the other hand if Chungyeol accepted he would be of much more use to Daroll, he could really protect his sire and innocent humans to prevent what happened to Jia’s parents.</p><p>“That’s a good enough of a reason,” He therefore retorted. “But I hope you’re not expecting me to jump you here in the middle of the fields. Let’s go back to the main house.” He continued, inciting his horse to go back. Daroll smiled after him, thankful for Chungyeol accepting but knowing how nervous the younger was feeling.</p><p>Back at the house, Chungyeol escorted Daroll back to his bedroom and there locked the door. There were a thousand questions on his face which made Daroll smile even more.</p><p>“Just drink it as you’d drink a human’s blood, though I must advise that the taste of our kind is really bad,” Daroll said encouragingly. “I’ll try to sign you the time to stop, but if I get too weak then you’ll have to feel it for yourself. I trust your instincts.” The sire continued.</p><p>Chungyeol sighed and then walked closer, giving his sire a hug. He rested his head on the elder’s shoulder and complained one last time. “You have some weird whims you know that? I swore to fight all of your wars, you are much more than a sire and a master to me, Daroll. I hope you know that.” The younger opened up.</p><p>Daroll held his nape. “So are you to me, Chungyeol, I can’t remember the last time I felt this attached to someone. I feared to trust you in the beginning, but now I feel like I can be an open book to you. I know you won’t betray me. I feel like I never had such faith in anyone.” The older opened his heart as well.</p><p>With a sigh Chungyeol sank his teeth in the vulnerable skin of his sire’s neck. Kindred blood is bad? Daroll was being gentle. Chungyeol swore to never drink vampire blood again, so repulsive it tasted. As the thought crossed his mind Daroll grunted in pain and Chungyeol forced himself to endure the taste and send pleasant feelings to his sire through his bite. Daroll was in trance and couldn’t hint to the younger vampire the time to stop, but at one point Chungyeol felt the blood flow in his sire was too dangerously low and there was a strange sensation of power running over his body. He deemed to have taken enough and stopped, licking the wound as what he did to humans.</p><p>He distanced himself from his sire, Daroll was smiling softly but at the next second he was falling to the floor. In panic Chungyeol was barely able to hold him before his head hit the floor. Seeing his sire like that Chungyeol thought he had gone too far, that he had drank too much and now his sire was dead, with not enough blood to regenerate. He started calling his sire, pleading him to wake up. He brought Daroll to his bed and laid him there desperately trying to wake him up. As the seconds tickled the effect of Daroll’s vitae started to work, slowly assurance started to build up, a certainty he had not gone too far. He was still scared and for four days he doubted that assurance.</p><p>He never left his sire’s side, he forced himself to be awake all the time, trying to listen and to smell whatever danger there could be. He felt terrified at noticing how frail the both of them were, how easy it would be to tear them apart. Chungyeol understood how important a coven could be in times like that. Not like the one they had and destroyed with their own hands, but something stronger, something based on unbreakable trust. He silently decided Jia would be their first coven member.</p><p>It was late at night, four days later, when Daroll woke up feeling extremely weak and thirsty, he felt Chungyeol’s smell and tried to sit up, but in no time he felt the younger holding him up. Daroll growled smelling the sleeping city and trying to find a prey close by.</p><p>The two of them kept two or three humans in their house at night and in no time Daroll had shoved Chungyeol away and ran at his top speed to the small rooms they kept for the humans to use. He opened the door not trying to be stealthy and sank his teeth on the first human. Chungyeol was in the room a few seconds later.</p><p>Daroll was avidly drinking blood as he human was blankly looking ahead with his mouth agape. The other human in the room, a pregnant woman, shouted in horror at seeing the scene. Chungyeol walked to her ordering the woman to look at him. Chungyeol had always had talent with captivating people so it was easy to make the woman calm down. Daroll let go of the man he was feeding from and then heavily walked to the woman, his eyes shining a bright red. “Tilt your head.” Chungyeol ordered and the woman just did so.</p><p>As Daroll fed from the woman he was less thirsty and made sure not to drink that much for the baby’s sake. After he let go of the woman as well he looked her in the eyes and then said. “Sleep, your child needs you to sleep.” The woman blinked a few times and then fell asleep.</p><p>“I need more.” Daroll said closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. The next thing he knew Chungyeol was hugging him, trembling.</p><p>“I’m going to be fine, Chungyeol. My requiem is still playing.” Daroll assured the younger but those words only made Chungyeol hold him tighter.</p><p>“I spent four days doubting this stupid voice in my head saying you were going to wake up. I was scared shitless, so don’t ever make me go through such a thing again.” Daroll replied the hug with one arm, nodding.</p><p>“I know you don’t like the idea, but let’s make ourselves a coven.” Chungyeol said making the older frown.</p><p>“I’m not going to embrace anyone else, Chungyeol.” Daroll said firmly.</p><p>“Yes you are. Once, you told me you had chosen me to help you because you saw in me humanity, you didn’t allow my humanity to die when you embraced me. Let’s find others you deem worth helping you. You want humans and vampires to coexist in peace. Then let’s start with a coven made of humans and vampires and one day we’ll expand it.” Chungyeol said letting go. His words were firm and the expression on his face made Daroll’s soul spark.</p><p>“I was not wrong when I embraced you. The world should have not lost a heart like yours.” Daroll admitted making Chungyeol smirk.</p><p>“I’m awesome like that.” He said but secretly he wanted to have said he had a good example to follow.</p><p>“Will you need to perform any dragon spell?” Chungyeol asked then, once again concerned.</p><p>Daroll nodded. “I’ll need to sleep one more day.” He answered and Chungyeol nodded.</p><p>“Then let’s go feed, I’ll look after your sleep, then I’ll sleep myself. After that I’m really going to find Jia and bring him with me. Let’s start our dream with him.” Daroll nodded at those words with a thankful smile.</p><p>Three days later Chungyeol left riding a horse. Of course it would be faster if he would simply run, but bringing the boy back would be better with a horse, he didn’t know how Jia would react to the fast speed he could run at.</p><p>The trip ended up taking longer than what he planned due to the bad state of the roads, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he finally reached the small village one afternoon and let his horse rest in front of the inn.</p><p>Yet the moment he opened the door and was graced with Jia cleaning the floor with a scrub, he couldn’t hold in a curse and his angered tone. The voice made the skinny boy look up and stare in surprise and fear. A woman came in from what Chungyeol thought was the kitchen and stared in surprise as that young stranger was pulling Jia up.</p><p>“What are you doing scrubbing the floor?! You were supposed to be a guest in the inn!” he scolded Jia before turning to the woman and demanding an explanation. “I left a bag of gold coins for him to be treated as a noble. Why is he working as a servant?!”</p><p>The woman shivered at the younger’s tone, they knew that not angering the nobles was the best thing they could do. “My deepest apologies, sir.” The woman replied not knowing how to amend the situation.</p><p>“They are innocent, sir… the inn’s owner fell ill and they needed help… I know them since I was a kid so I offered help… even if you haven’t paid for them to take care of me they would have done so…” Jia dared to speak, holding Chungyeol’s arm with trembling hands.</p><p>Hearing the explanation Chungyeol took in a deep breath. “You swear you are not lying to me?” he asked the boy, who nodded vehemently. “So be it.” Chungyeol said as he resumed his walk to the counter, Jia let go of him and just stared in awe, not fully believing the vampire kept true to his words of coming back.</p><p>“This is for whatever was not covered by the first payment.” He put over the counter another small bag of gold coins. The woman still felt scared and doubtful if she should take it, after all the first bag was far enough, they had never had so much gold at hand before.</p><p>“It’s not necessary, my Lord.” The woman tried to say, but Chungyeol raised a hand.</p><p>“Take it. This could be helpful to pay for a good doctor for the owner,” And saying that, he turned to Jia. “Pack whatever you deem worth taking with you, we are leaving tomorrow morning. No more scrubbing the floor though.”</p><p>The boy blinked and then nodded with a small thankful smile. After bidding goodbye and promising to be back some day to visit them, Jia left the tavern and inn. With a small sad smile he looked at the direction of his family house and work place. Chungyeol watched him with knowing eyes before climbing on his horse and calling Jia softly. The boy was slightly taken aback as the vampire extended a hand and made him climb on the horse and sit behind him.</p><p>They travelled four days and three times, they had been attacked by thieves on the lone roads but those ended up as Chungyeol’s snacks as Jia got reminded things were not supposed to be easy on them. Twice they were approached by vampires and Jia watched Chungyeol trying to be diplomatic, but a kid’s blood was a tempting treat and the vampires ended up fighting. Chungyeol had been scratched slightly but nothing that was not completely healed before he announced he would sleep for the day in the next city.</p><p>As they travelled Jia noticed that Chungyeol pretty much enjoyed the sun in the early morning and twilight but would cover himself with a thick black mantle when the sun was stronger. Jia wanted to ask about that, from all he knew vampires should turn into ashes under the sun, he had seen that with his own eyes, yet he kept his mouth shut because he was afraid to anger his master. Jia was nothing but a servant to a vampire.</p><p>Jia watched with wide eyes as they entered the big capital of the feud his small village belonged to or at least he thought they were still on his feud. But he was wrong, he was actually at a neighboring one. People on the streets would bow to Chungyeol as he passed, a few young ladies would giggle and step away.</p><p>Chungyeol stopped at the finest tailor of the capital, as preparations for Jia’s arrival he had ordered clothes to be made. “Kim Chungyeol-nim.” A man approached bowing.</p><p>“Help the boy down,” Chungyeol said giving the man a nod and a polite smile in greeting. The man bowed and moved to help Jia who was totally taken aback for being called ‘young master’ by that man. Chungyeol just smirked at the stiffened and confused youngster.</p><p>Jia had his mouth fall open as he entered the tailor’s shop. His father had never had access to those fine pieces of cloth, he basically made outfits for the poor people of his village, he had never worked to a noble before, but this tailor obviously only worked for the richest people. The boy was completely lost as Chungyeol pulled out a set and inspected it. “Try this one.” He had ordered and with hesitance the boy took the silky piece and followed an old woman to a room where he could change. Once he was back into the room Chungyeol smiled in approval and Jia noticed their clothes were practically matching.</p><p>“Have the other’s delivered at our farm.” Chungyeol instructed the tailor who bowed and nodded receiving a bag of gold from the vampire.</p><p>Chungyeol climbed back on his horse and the same man from before helped Jia back up the horse. “I thought…” Jia started after Chungyeol made the horse gallop out of the city in the direction of their farm.</p><p>“I said I would take care of you, you are not a servant, Jia.” Chungyeol grinned understanding what the boy was so worried about.</p><p>When they finally arrived at the farm the human kid noticed there were other humans working there, but then his eyes landed on a pale man with golden hair, his eyes were a dark brown and his smile was very kind, he seemed to be as young as Chungyeol but, with the way Chungyeol bowed to the man, Jia was sure he was in front of another vampire. Someone probably much stronger because Chungyeol was covered by the cloak but that man was walking under the sun without any kind of protection.</p><p>“Daroll, this is Jia.” Chungyeol stated putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Jia, this is my older brother Daroll.” The human looked from one to the other and then deeply bowed to the elder. “Ni-nice to meet you, sir. Daroll.” He said.</p><p>Daroll kneeled in front of the boy, causing Jia to stiffen, they looked at each other for a long while until the vampire said with a kind voice. “Welcome home. We’ll make sure to amend your parent’s death by taking care of you. You shall not fear. We will protect you.”</p><p>Jia felt tears forming but he made everything in his power not to cry. He nodded at the vampire swearing to himself to do whatever they would ask of him. That night a special dinner was cooked and Daroll invited all the families working on his lands to acquaintance them to Jia, the new young master of their household. They never explained from where the boy had come from, there were a few gossips that he was actually Chungyeol’s son. The kindred felt amazed by the speculations but at one point he confided to Daroll he believed there was some truth in there.</p><p>“Well speaking of kindred’s family, you are technically my father, Dal,” The young vampire started, an annoying smirk dancing on his lips because that was the first time he was using a pet name for his sire. “And since I practically adopted Jia it makes him my son. How do you feel, grandpa-ssi?” He had teased causing Jia to look worriedly from one to the other in fear of what would happen.</p><p>But Daroll snorted pulling the book he was reading down. “Does my grandson know how to read?” he asked looking directly at Jia.</p><p>If once Jia doubted those vampires regarding their sincerity, it all vanished with the years he lived under their care. Daroll had taught him how to read and write, Chungyeol had instructed him on the sword techniques, they had asked the best tailor of the capital to take him as apprentice. Jia was granted the possibility to follow in his real father’s footsteps and a few years later it was him crafting their own clothes.</p><p>Yet a human life is extremely frail. One cold autumn day Jia fell sick. Daroll had hired the best doctors to take care of him, but other than getting better his condition just worsened. Chungyeol became restless because he had vowed to himself he would keep that boy alive, that he would allow him to live a full life, he didn’t want Jia to die after seeing only twenty-two springs.</p><p>It was raining heavily that night. Chungyeol had sat the whole day beside Jia’s bed, they were all sure the boy wouldn’t last more than a few days. Daroll watched them concerned. Jia was the only human really living with them, unconsciously the constancy of Jia’s heartbeat was the finest melody in the world for Daroll. He had an idea to save the boy, not only for the human kid but also for Chungyeol’s and his own sake.</p><p>“Chungyeol,” Daroll called. “I need to speak with you.” Chungyeol looked at his sire in discomfort.</p><p>“Does is have to be now, Dal?” the youngest asked not willing to be away from his ‘step-son’.</p><p>Daroll nodded sitting on a cushion, his eyes rested on the human as he spoke. “Maybe I know how to save him, Chungyeol.”</p><p>At those words Chungyeol turned to Daroll again with a glint of hope in his eyes. “How? Each doctor that comes by leaves him worse. How can we save him?” the younger asked, his frustration seeping through his tone.</p><p>“By making him really part of our family, Chungyeol.” Daroll answered moving his gaze to his progeny, if Chungyeol would want to he could embrace the boy, but he doubted the younger would want to.</p><p>And Daroll was right. Chungyeol stood up with fire burning in his eyes. “No. I promised him I would take care of him, I promised him I would keep him safe. Making him one of us is the same as killing him and that I won’t allow.” Chungyeol practically snarled those words, he believed Daroll was the only one that could understand him, but that proposition was telling him otherwise.</p><p>“What about making him half of what we are?” Daroll asked then, his voice became even softer, if there was one thing he admired Chungyeol for it was how he protects a human life like that. Chungyeol never ceased to make him feel proud, to make him believe he did right into embracing him.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Chungyeol retorted clearly confused. “What is half of what we are?” he asked trying to figure it out by himself. Those words were not familiar but ever since he drank Daroll’s blood again, sometimes, he felt like he actually knew things nobody had ever told him before, this half-thingy talk stirred that feeling in him.</p><p>“Domenic had never used the strategy because he hated humans and wouldn’t allow one to remain close to him even if said human was a powerless slave,” Daroll started letting his gaze fall back over Jia. “We can do a test, Chungyeol. I’ve heard that kindred blood in a healthy human body gives the human our powers, I’m not fully sure to which extent but maybe it could be used to at least give him our immunity to human diseases.” The sire continued and Chungyeol felt he didn’t need much more explaining, what he needed was convince Jia to accept drinking the blood.</p><p>“Use our curse as a form of medicine?” Chungyeol voiced going back to his spot on the bed and looking in a contemplative way to the human kid he got so fond of. When the two vampires looked at each other again Daroll smiled. His whole being getting filled with mutual understanding, it felt surreal to him how he could just look in Chungyeol’s eyes to know what the younger was thinking, even more because he knew the same went on with Chungyeol.</p><p>The next day when Jia woke up, there was the old woman that cooked for them putting a plate of food beside his bed with an empty cup on the tray. “Your father asked to bring the cup.” The woman replied to Jia’s whispered question and not two minutes later as Jia was taking in his first spoonful of meal, Chungyeol entered the room and watched his ‘son’ having breakfast. To the old woman the only sounds in the room were those of the spoon hitting the plate and Jia degutting and to Chungyeol the sounds of beating hearts in addition.</p><p>The old lady left the room a few minutes later with an empty plate, but left behind the already empty cup. Chungyeol approached and smiled sadly at Jia as he sat on the bed and brushed the hair out of Jia’s forehead. “Jia, I have some kind of deal to make with you.” The vampire said slowly, worried with the high temperature of Jia’s body.</p><p>Those words made the human look quizzically; he knew all about the ‘deal’ Daroll had offered Chungyeol on the brink of death. Would they offer him a similar ‘deal’? He frowned then, he had nothing to give them back. He was not a fighter, if anything he was a burden they had been carrying for years.</p><p>“I told you I’d do anything to give you a good life, Jia. We went to the last extent on human care for you, but they are proving to be quite useless. I know of something that might cure you. I don’t know what the consequences will be, Jia, I just know I want to try.” Chungyeol spoke softly, the tone that always made Jia feel cherished, the tone that assured he was no burden.</p><p>“What is it?” he asked back, his voice frail and cracking, if Chungyeol had not been a vampire he would have never understood those words.</p><p>Chungyeol reached for the glass and spoke looking at the glass surface. “I’ll give you my blood to drink, in return you’ll fill this house with a lively heartbeat again.”</p><p>Jia widened his eyes at Chungyeol, wasn’t it the other way around? Could really a human drink vampire blood just like that?</p><p>The look Jia was giving him made Chungyeol smile as he took a glance at the human, the slight quicken in heart rate calling the vampire’s attention. “I told you I don’t know fully the consequences of you drinking my blood, but from the little I know you’ll become something as a half-vampire. Daroll is trying to find out more about it right now, but one thing we both agree: you’ll probably get cured if you drink it.”</p><p>Jia blinked again trying to process that information. He would become a half vampire. He didn’t know if he could be as strong as Chungyeol or Daroll, if he would have to hide from the sun as well – not that the two had much problem with the sun – but he certainly would be stronger than a human, he would be able to learn how to fight, or at least how to defend himself from other vampires. Those years he had been living with them, they had been attacked plenty of times because they were protecting the humans in the city they were living at. Chungyeol had always put his own safety aside for Jia’s. He wouldn’t be a burden anymore if he would just drink the blood. How bad would it taste anyway?</p><p>The two looked at each other for a while, but then Jia lowered his head. Chungyeol had done so much for him, so much more than any human would have done, he wanted to do more than just clothes for them, he wanted to feel like he really belonged in that family. “I accept.” He spoke then, barely audible for another human to hear. Chungyeol nodded with a pleased smirk on his lips. He scooted closer and then raised his wrist to his own mouth.</p><p>Jia watched in a daze as the vampire tore the skin with his fangs, immediately the deep red liquid came out and the next thing Jia knew the wound was being pressed against his lips. Hesitantly he parted his lips and started sucking the blood. The taste was the same as human blood to Jia. He had always hated the smell since that particular night Chungyeol entered his life, but he forced himself to endure the disgust he was feeling. He was doing that for Chungyeol and for himself.</p><p>Slowly the dizzy feeling from his fever stopped, he could breathe normally once again, he felt his body getting back its normal strength. He didn’t know how much he had drank, nor how long it had been, but he felt completely alright once more. At one point Chungyeol pulled his arm away from Jia’s hold and the human felt mortified as he noticed he had taken a grip of the latter’s arm and had been holding it as a lifeline. Jia blushed while Chungyeol merely smirked in return, pleased with the color that was back on the latter’s face and the quick heartbeat.</p><p>“How do you feel?” Chungyeol questioned and Jia looked at his hands that had fallen over his lap.</p><p>The human pondered before speaking with a clear voice. One would never be able to say that young man was on the brink of death. “I’ve never felt like this… I feel I’m more than perfectly fine.”</p><p>Chungyeol nodded. “Stand up. Let’s see how fine your perfectly fine really is.” The vampire teased and Jia frowned.</p><p>“I shouldn’t be walking around just like this, Chungyeol-nim. What will the humans think?” The human shook his head afraid to bring them trouble with his magical recovery. Yet his words didn’t have the effect he wanted because his body simply obeyed the received order. It left the human astonished and the vampire smirking even more.</p><p>“Jia, you still haven’t learned the extent of Daroll’s powers? To convince the people working for us that you have been steadily getting better than getting worse is a piece of pie.” Chungyeol retorted while standing up as well.</p><p>Jia smiled hearing that. “Because you don’t really like cake.” He retorted and then let out a long sigh. It was strange really, how Jia had never been able to really go against the two vampires, they always had a way to convince him otherwise in whatever, but the last order Chungyeol had given him felt different from any other order. Before he still felt he could just feign to not hear and ignore the other, in fact on a few occasions he had just done that because he was stubborn like that, but now his whole being felt compelled to obey.</p><p>“Change your clothes and then go to the study.” Chungyeol ordered and watched in amazement as Jia unconsciously growled at his body moving on its own accord. The vampire left the room and rushed to find his sire to give him the good news.</p><p>Yet the younger vampire was frustrated to see Daroll chuckling to himself. His sire had been spying on them at the very least. “Dal, were you listening again?” Chungyeol growled in annoyance.</p><p>“Can’t help it if you speak that loudly.” The elder replied and made himself comfortable in his cushion.</p><p>“Now I truly understand what you meant for powerless slave,” Chungyeol said taking a seat in front of his sire. “Will he do whatever I tell him?” he then asked, a little of amazement coming back to him.</p><p>“I believe he will. Unable to go against any of your whims, I feel sorry for the boy,” Daroll teased. Chungyeol snorted fighting back a smile because Daroll seemed to be in a better mood, ever since Jia had fallen sick Daroll had seemed to fall ill as well. “I’ve found one of my older diaries. After I became a vampire I was not sure how my memory would work so I wrote down whatever I found important. I found an entry about the first time I went on a diplomatic meeting with Domenic. One of the vampire’s there had humans escorting him, I had found it really stupid thing to do, a few low ranked vampire’s had tried to make them food but ended up with the humans stepping on their faces.” Chungyeol whistled in amazement the moment there was a knock on the door and Jia entered, standing by the door and bowing to the two vampires.</p><p>“Jia, give Daroll a kiss on the cheek.” The younger vampire ordered with a devilish smirk. Jia frowned and approached Daroll from the right.</p><p>“Daroll-nim… I’m sorry please don’t hit me.” The human said unable to go against the order.</p><p>“Chungyeol, stop with the childish play.” The smirk died after hearing the order, Chungyeol had freely given up his freedom, therefore whatever order Daroll gave him made him feel compelled to obey just like Jia was now towards him. Chungyeol bit the insides of his mouth and watched as Jia gave the vampire a quick kiss on the cheek.</p><p>“Why is this happening?” Jia asked with a whine as he kept looking from one vampire to the other.</p><p>“Well, Jia, when I saved you, you said you were my slave from then on. Until this morning you were a slave with your own will, now you’re a slave without will,” Chungyeol explained cryptically. “Take a seat.” He motioned to the chair beside his and Jia promptly obeyed while Daroll sighed.</p><p>“Jia, we Kindreds have our ways of controlling humans, one of those is making a deal with the human. We offer our blood so the human would become a half-vampire, but in return the human gives up his will and becomes a powerless slave, if Chungyeol would order you to fight against a whole army of vampires alone you would obey without a second thought. That’s the deal you’ve accepted.” Daroll explained with his kindest tone, speaking slowly to pass to both how important the words shared between them would be from then on.</p><p>The human remained silent pondering that. He became a marionette in Chungyeol’s hand with invisible strings. He glanced at the two vampires and then sighed, it was a mix of relief, contentment and reassignment. He trusted them both, but he certainly trusted Chungyeol the most despite his love for teasing.</p><p>“I don’t want to bind your will, Jia, whatever I order you to do, you will obey only if you agree.” Chungyeol spoke then causing the human to look at him with something akin to adoration. Chungyeol had never made him feel like a slave at all in those years they lived together, all he did was make him feel as part of the family. Silently he decided to devote his will to that vampire and he wouldn’t let anyone defy him or Daroll.</p><p>They resumed their lives after that talk about Kindred and their most loyal slaves, the creatures they called blood dolls, humans bonded to a certain vampire by a string of blood.</p><p>For around three weeks Chungyeol had helped Jia adjust to his new powers, the vampire had told the blood doll after a few tests that Jia was now as strong and as fast as a newborn vampire, but as his body was still that of a human, he would get tired much faster than a vampire. He still needed his nights to sleep like any other human, was just as hungry as he had always been, but he also gained a highlighted sense of smell and hearing. It couldn’t compare to that of a full vampire but he could distinguish the smell of a human and a vampire, he wouldn’t be fooled again.</p><p>As Jia was starting to get used to the new powers he felt himself getting weaker, he was once again having difficulty to breathe and the symptoms of his disease were slowly coming back and, as weird as it would sound, every time he would look at Chungyeol he felt like asking to drink the vampire’s blood again. He refrained from that though, as well as tried his best to not let the vampire notice he was getting sick again. But all his pretense ended at one of the martial trainings when the human collapsed. Jia woke up again lying on his bed, he was thirsty and slightly dizzy but not as bad as when he was really sick. Chungyeol was sitting beside his bed with a worried expression. He looked ahead and saw Daroll standing in front of the door, arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked at his progeny.</p><p>“Jia?” Chungyeol called and the human gulped looking at the vampire with a slightly scared expression. “Tell me what you’re feeling.” Chungyeol spoke with a low voice, a tone indicating he didn’t want Jia to go against the order. He silently decided he would surrender to the blood doll loyalty whenever Chungyeol would use that tone.</p><p>“I’m feeling sick again… and I… want to drink your blood again.” Jia replied with a light blush, he broke the eye contact and determinedly fixed his gaze on the ceiling.</p><p>“Was it supposed to be this fast, Dal?” Chungyeol asked never looking away from Jia.</p><p>“I’ve never spent more than a few hours in the same room as a blood doll, I couldn’t know how much time the blood would be in his system, Chungyeol. But now we know two important things: our blood doesn’t cure humans and it takes around three weeks for the effect to wear off.” Daroll replied not moving from the door but letting his gaze fall over the human. Jia looked at them with a glint of confusion in his eyes.</p><p>“So… it was not meant to be forever?” he asked with a thick, frail voice. Daroll shook his head.</p><p>“I told you, Jia, we don’t know the consequences of you drinking vampire blood. I don’t know if we can keep you longer than a human can live, would you accept to try?” Chungyeol answered his question and Jia looked back at him.</p><p>“You…” Jia started but couldn’t finish his question. He looked deep in Chungyeol’s eyes and knew he wanted to be with them for as long as he could, his parents were dead, the people from his homeland probably didn’t remember him anymore, yet he had two vampires living among humans and somehow giving them a good life. Those two vampires took care of the city they were at, even fighting against their own kind and they were choosing him to be somehow part of their family. What was there to think about? “I accept the deal.” Jia said then with resolution. He was not a slave, he had been adopted in that family. A family built in trust.</p><p>Daroll smiled and Chungyeol promptly opened a gash in his wrist to let Jia drink his blood for the second time. Jia felt his body respond to the kindred vitae and again he felt himself at the notch of his strength.</p><p>For another three years Jia kept on feeding regularly on blood, at first Chungyeol would give him blood every week, but at one point Jia started craving for it earlier and the three agreed the vitae seemed to be addicting. To prevent anything wrong to happen they fixated that a Sunday every two weeks would be a feeding day. Jia at first was rebellious about the matter due to the addiction but one stern order from Chungyeol helped solve the matter.</p><p>They had agreed on a second test about two years after Jia started drinking the blood, they had noticed Jia was not aging, his hair and nails were not growing at a normal human rate so for a test one year later they would cease the feeding.</p><p>Chungyeol practically regretted that decision and for a few dreadful seconds he almost lost Jia. Once the kindred vitae had completely wear off, Jia aged those three years in a few seconds, his hair and nails grew at an abnormal rate as well as the disease weakened his body to a critical condition. Jia was about to breathe his last when Chungyeol forced his blood in the human’s mouth. At first the young man was in a too painful state to swallow but somehow the vitae worked its effect and too painfully slowly got Jia back in a health shape.</p><p>Jia had tears in his eyes when Chungyeol stopped feeding him blood. The human jumped at the worried vampire giving him a tight hug, Chungyeol responded immediately, it was obvious the two of them had been scared shitless of losing the other. Daroll heaved a sigh of relief at seeing them in each other’s embrace. Yet the only thing he did was place a hand on each of their heads.</p><p>That was the last test they did about blood dolls on Jia. It was agreed after that, Chungyeol would never cease again to give the human blood. Jia would only drink Chungyeol’s blood and would only give up his life if the vampire was not living his requiem anymore. And Daroll would make sure the two of them would have each other forever.</p><p>A few more years later Daroll’s small coven moved to another land somehow starting a nomad life. The only vampire they kept in touch with was Prince Adrian to whom Chungyeol kept on giving favors. Jia had been acquainted with the Vampire Prince who welcomed the human under his grace with only slight reluctance, after all humans were not supposed to know about the supernatural.</p><p>Daroll had around two hundred and fifty years to enjoy in his requiem the melody of Jia’s constant cheerful heartbeat. But Chungyeol still managed to influence that melody yet one more time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Derde Lied – The Third Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daroll and Chungyeol had spent a whole week visiting Prince Adrian. The vampire had specially requested their presence for a festival that would be held at the capital of his feud. Jia had been fascinated by the traditional costumes and delighted at receiving the instructions on how to make them. Daroll and Chungyeol though were being shown Adrian’s collection of Swords.</p><p>“Daroll, Chungyeol, I have a mission to request of you.” The vampire Prince said, calmly taking a certain sword made of some kind of black metal from his collection. “I’ve sent a few trackers in pursuit of a legendary artisan. He only crafts weapons for those he deems worthy so obviously those trackers came back empty handed. Now that I know where he is, I’d like you two to go to him. He will certainly craft for the both of you, but I’d also ask you try to convince him to come to me.”</p><p>“What’s so impressive about him that a vampire Prince is seeking a simple artisan?” Chungyeol questioned as his eyes landed on the Bloody Sword he was carrying the night he first met Jia.</p><p>“You’re looking at one of his works.” The vampire Prince smirked as Chungyeol momentarily widened his eyes. Adrian wanted them to find the artisan that forged such a legendary sword?</p><p>“You’re asking us to seek The Artisan, Adrian?” Daroll asked then, not trying to hide his surprise. “Not many ever try to look for him because either they never find or they come back empty handed. If we find him and he crafts us something, we would have to hand it to you, why would we do that?” he enquired also looking at the rare item.</p><p>“I know he will craft something for you. And of course I have a deal to make. I wouldn’t send you and not give you a reward. My deal is: if you convince him to come see me, you keep whatever he crafts for you. I know he will craft for me if I only talk to him. But if he does not accept to come then you’ll request him to craft a Flaming Sword for me, you keep whatever else he crafts for you. My deal is fair.” Prince Adrian said with an arrogant smile.</p><p>“What if he crafts us nothing?” Chungyeol snorted hearing those words.</p><p>“Ah Chungyeol… you say that because you can’t <em>see</em>. You have no clue what awaits for you, but I <em>know</em>. Believe me you will find him and he will craft,” Adrian assured handing Chungyeol the black sword. “Once you find him offer him this token. It belonged to my sire.” Adrian continued giving his sword an almost lovingly glance.</p><p>“Your sire?” Daroll asked, it was the first time Adrian was talking about his sire in their presence, it was in the least a curious remark.</p><p>“Ah my sire… the first time I landed my eyes on you, Daroll, I knew we were very similar.” Adrian hinted and it was understood, the vampire prince had in some point killed his own sire as Daroll had killed his own. Domenic deserved to die, at least.</p><p>“Very well. I’ll follow my sire’s decision on this.” Chungyeol said with a neutral tone, disliking the topic of killing sires. Daroll spared the younger vampire a quick glance, just enough to see Chungyeol would love to have a mythical weapon just for himself before he agreed on the mission. They would leave in pursuit of The Artisan right after the festival was over. When they gave the news to Jia the human had, to say the least, sparkling eyes at the prospect of travelling to the far west where the artisan was last seen.</p><p>Adrian gave them a tracker pass to the other cities as to not cause problems with the western Princes. They were known for profusely disliking nomads without a purpose. With the pass and the fine noble gear they were wearing they would certainly be well received in whatever city they would step in.</p><p>The three left on one cold winter day, by the summer they were still half way their destination in a land of beautiful palaces and dunes, the Country of Qasteudal. They had faced their share of troubles with the supernatural in the form of kindreds and werewolves but managed to get far without much critical injuries, especially taking in consideration Jia was not a warrior for the life in him. Yet until they arrived at a certain city close to the ocean and surrounded by a desert they hadn’t faced their greatest human war.</p><p>Chungyeol having the greatest sense of smell from the three of them was the first to be hit by the aroma of human death. They watched the battle from afar, Chungyeol’s eyes sparkling with old memories of his human life. An army of well-prepared soldiers was repressing a smaller army of rebels.</p><p>The fight was pretty much over once they managed to get close enough without being noticed, the mass of rebels was retreating, a few dead soldier against a bigger number of dead rebels. Daroll and Jia had their attentions fixed on the soldiers as they managed to take with them a few prisoners, but Chungyeol’s eyes were focused on the figure leading the retreating rebels. If he would be sincere he admired the humans who aspired to change their realities by fighting their wars, but at that very moment he was unsure of what to feel towards that woman that was firmly holding on to a broken sword and making sure she was the last one to flee safely. The way she looked back and threw her broken sword on the sand sparked his curiosity.</p><p>“Chungyeol?” Jia called with a confused tone. Said vampire looked at the human and then at his sire, who was looking at him with a knowing look.</p><p>“You know… now I miss my rebel days. Dal, would you mind a longer stay in here?” the younger vampire asked with a small smirk.</p><p>Daroll sighed. “You know I don’t fancy cruel humans. But if we stay we may lose the track on The Artisan.” The older vampire warned but Chungyeol just scoffed.</p><p>“I can bet with you we’ll find the nameless guy with or without this small stop.” The younger said prompting his horse to continue in the direction of the city.</p><p>“Daroll-nim, why do you let Chungyeol do whatever he pleases?” Jia asked just to make sure the answer was still the same.</p><p>“Because I trust my requiem in his hands.” Daroll didn’t miss a beat in replying leading his horse to get closer to Jia’s so the vampire could lift a bit the cloak hood covering the human’s face. They smiled at each other. Yes the answer was still the same.</p><p>They followed the younger vampire into the fortified city. It was gigantic and had a really interesting amount of beautiful buildings. The Vampires in the city welcomed the three of them with some regards towards the blood doll, but filled the curious Chungyeol in about the happenings regarding the rebels and their cause. The vampires there actually enjoyed to see the humans killing themselves and, when the opportunity was good, having a feast on the almost dead people left behind.</p><p>The small nomad coven sympathized with the rebels even more when the human nobles and the emperor received them. Their noble status in the east did not pass unnoticed and even gave Chungyeol an advantage. He would have easy access to the palace and the plans against the rebels, something that was extremely difficult for him to acquire back then at his own war.</p><p>He had his mind set, he only needed to find the rebel leader and convince her he wanted to be her ally. Inconspicuously he searched for her high and low, the broken sword she had left behind gave him a scent to search for. He looked at all the possible rebel hideouts he could think of but he was rendered amused as he identified the smell coming from the red light street.</p><p>He entered one of the houses one night only to be graced with the human woman he was looking for dressed in what was probably their servant outfit, preparing trays of drinks in a corner. A perfect hiding spot, he wouldn’t feel surprised if the emperor’s soldiers would be found dead through poisoning a few nights ahead. He had found her, immediately he took the next step.</p><p>Chungyeol called the owner of the house and offered a bag of gold coins for the servant with reddish hair and the best room of the house. The reaction was amusing mostly. The owner glanced at the so-called servant in surprise and half-shock, before turning back to the man.</p><p>“I’m sorry, sir, you can have our best room but the servants are not for rent. If they are gone who would serve our customers?” he spoke calmly then, obviously having the politest smile he could manage on his face. “Maybe I can interest you in Vanilla over there at the round table. She has red hair too, if this is what Monseigneur prefers.” The man motioned over to the other corner where a young woman somewhere in her mid-twenties was entertaining one of the other guests, laughing loudly at a joke that probably hadn’t even been funny at all.</p><p>“I’m afraid the hair color is not the matter here. I want that girl and if this amount is not enough to have her, I’ll double. The business won’t go down if you let go of one servant tonight.” Chungyeol replied with a small smirk showing off a second bag of golden coins.</p><p>The owner still seemed to be hesitant to accept, opening his mouth to say more but then he closed it again, his eyes going to the woman that had walked up to them now. “If you keep pulling out such bags there’s a high chance you’ll get robbed,” she spoke in a soft but apparently confident tone. “Is there a particular reason you are willing to pay this much for a servant girl, sir?”</p><p>Even though her question seemed to imply she was questioning him still, she sat down on the table, thereby shoving the two bags of gold coins towards the owner, making it clear that she had somehow accepted the offer. “I think this amount should be enough for the rich sir to pay for our best room and perhaps some company for the evening,” she added with a polite smile in Chungyeol’s direction even though her words were for the owner. The man took the two bags with a nod and walked off to go put them in a secure place, assured that Elena would lead him to their best room.</p><p>“Who tells you I was not the one robbing those bags?” Chungyeol replied with an amazed tone. “Besides... there’s more than the eye can see. Maybe a servant can entertain me better than one could suspect,” He bowed slightly to Elena. “May I know your name?” He asked reaching for her hand.</p><p>The young woman looked at him for a moment, eyes going over his features as if to gauge how serious she would have to be with him but then a light smile pulled up the corners of her mouth, he was clearly nobility, but from another country. “Let’s see..” she hummed pensively, he spoke in their native language but had a strong accent, he seemed to be from the eastern countries. “Best room of the house, company for the evening,... I’m afraid names nor holding hands were included in the price you paid, kind sir.” Her wink to him was teasing as she hopped down from the table again, motioning over to the stairs that would lead them up. “I’ll bring you to your room now.”</p><p>Chungyeol chuckled at her reply. “Give me your prices and I’ll pay.” he followed her keeping some distance.</p><p>“Holding hands, a few more of those gold coins. Name, several hundreds. Night time entertainment... Well, I’m afraid that even you cannot pay that price, sir.” Her words were spoken with a chuckle in her voice but for some reason it was still obvious that those last words were not a joke. She wouldn’t be selling her body for the night.</p><p>As they reached the top of the stairs, she turned to the left, walking down the hall with a certain dignity in her pace even though she was supposed to only be a servant girl. Chungyeol didn’t speak anymore until they were in front of the room, yet the moment she opened the door he sneaked a hand around her waist and let his mouth hover her ear. “What if I give you the support you need to win this little war you’re leading?” He whispered in somewhat a seductive tone.</p><p>The next moment he had completely let go of her and walked further inside the room taking off his coat and throwing it over a nearby table. The sound of more coin bags being heard at the collision and the sight of Chungyeol’s sword hanging from his belt passing the feeling he was not there for a night entertainment but business.</p><p>Yet Elena didn’t seem to be surprised or impressed at all. Instead she followed in after him, closing the door behind herself and walking over to the bed. She settled down on the foot end, crossing her legs and smiling somewhat flirty at him. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply but if I were in a war of any kind I’d be glad to have a handsome man like yourself supporting me,” she stated, the words nothing but flattery as she threw him another cute wink.</p><p>Chungyeol stood in front of her, he reached and held her chin to look at her face at that. “I happen to have free access to the palace, I happen to know how to get in and free the few people that got imprisoned yesterday, but I’d only do that for the beautiful leader I’ve seen yesterday when I arrived at the capital. Whatever her price is.” he spoke in the same flirtatious tone she had used.</p><p>She kept her eyes on his as he spoke, the same flirty smile on her face without change. Only by the end of his speech did the smile disappear completely and the dagger she had ever so slowly pulled out - according to her - unnoticed was pressed against his side, on just the right spot to stab him in the kidney if she used enough strength.</p><p>“I’m sorry, you must’ve gotten the wrong idiot,” she told him in a cold voice, getting up from the bed so she’d be on the same eye level as him. “I don’t know how you found me here but you’re not leaving this place alive to go and bring the news to your buddies. You’re not the first spy they try to get into our ranks with such empty promises.”</p><p>Chungyeol was pretty much unaffected by her actions or words he just kept on smirking at her. “I do not bring you empty promises.” saying that he took a step back, forced her to let go of the dagger and pulled her flush against his body with a strong grip, one arm around her waist the other holding her dagger between his fingers as he caressed her cheek.</p><p>“If I wanted to ruin you, you would be dead the moment you opened that door. I am here to sincerely offer you my aid. I know what it means to fight for a better life. I’ve been in your shoes before and if I hadn’t accepted the unexpected help that was offered to me, I would be really dead right now.” he continued, his tone was soft but firm and held the sincerity he was talking about.</p><p>She allowed him to speak even though she didn’t appear to be listening to him at all. Only when he finished speaking did she slap his hand away from her cheek which only was a distraction from her other move; kneeing him in the crotch. Right after doing so she pulled away from him to jump onto the bed, a new dagger already in hand.</p><p>“If you’re really here to help then give me all of those gold coins you have and go away,” she told him with a distrusting expression. Even though he sounded honest, they were at war and no one was to be trusted on his word in such circumstances. “There’s guards outside the door so don’t even think about coming closer again because I’ll call them before you can stop me.”</p><p>“You can keep the gold and my coat, it can be sold for a good price,” He told her, yet he had just finished those words when he suddenly vanished from her sight just to appear right behind her, his arms once again sneaking around her waist as he spoke again by her ear. “I love challenges, by the way, Elena. I’ll come again.” after that Chungyeol was by the window at the other end of the room, jumping into the night.</p><p>The young woman stayed in place for a moment, frozen in her position as she tried to grasp what had just happened. Her eyes went to the coat the man had left behind and she jumped down from the bed to check the gold he had left behind for them. There were three bags of gold in the coat, but those weren’t even the biggest surprise. A fourth bag contained the famous crown jewels of the king and then the even more peculiar piece of metal that she recognized as part of the sword she had thrown onto the battlefield the day before.</p><p>Walking over to the window, she looked outside as if to check whether the man was still anywhere in sight. When she caught no sight of him she frowned but didn’t move away from the window until a few more minutes had passed.</p><p>Chungyeol went back home smirking to himself with his mind full of Elena. She was though and had the courage of a real leader. If only, her actions made him want her to win this war even more. He pondered how he could help more and decided to give her a sample of what he could do. The moment he went inside their hideout he asked if Daroll could kindly make sure none of the vampires would bother Jia while the human was sleeping.</p><p>“Stealing the crown jewels was not enough?” Daroll asked with a slightly teasing tone.</p><p>“I am not offering her the option to become a vampire, I have to give other things. I’ll put my illusion tricks to test tonight.” Chungyeol retorted as he left once again.</p><p>The kindred easily sneaked into the torture chambers and, using his presence and manipulation tricks, convinced the guards and the prisoners themselves that there were nine prisoners other than ten. The youngster he rescued was instructed in a different way before he drank the guy’s blood and set him unconscious. With a bit of effort he carried the dead weight all the way back to Elena’s hideout placing the guy at the back door’s steps and then leaving once more.</p><p>So the next morning Elena had quite the surprise to see the young man, covered in bruises from torture at the back door of the cabaret. The only thing he said as he was being fed, was that he had been saved by a stranger with medium red hair and that every night he would bring one of the prisoners out.  This news caught her by slight surprise only as she had somehow come to believe the man’s words. But she preferred seeing him again instead of getting his gifts one by one. She had no clue how to look for him, however, so she left a rock at the door with a note hidden underneath it. Two simple words; let’s meet. Yet it was not a needed move.</p><p>During the whole day there was no more gifts left by her door, yet early that evening Chungyeol was back at the cabaret, but this time he had the company of two extremely handsome guys. Strangely enough Chungyeol was not the one on the ‘lead’, he passed on more the feel of a second man than the actual leader, they sat at a table close to the stairs and continued to converse. Somehow the younger looking one was looking slightly displeased.</p><p>Just like the first time Chungyeol had entered the place, Elena was going around like a servant girl and even though this time she had recognized him when he came in, she didn’t go to greet him, instead keeping to her role of serving girl while the owner went to greet the three men.</p><p>“Monseigneur is back, I see. Does he wish to hire the red haired servant girl again?” the man spoke friendlily, not seeming to know about the help Chungyeol had given them. “Perhaps Vanilla and Rosey can entertain the other two gentlemen?” He smiled happily, motioning over to the girls he had been talking about but keeping his eyes on the guests.</p><p>“I like roses.” Jia said losing a bit of his annoyance as he looked at Chungyeol. Daroll though looked at the other girls not particularly interested in Vanilla. There was a brown haired one though that called his attention. For a moment Chungyeol seemed to see something as resentment flash across his sire’s face. “I’d like that one.” Daroll pointed at the girl.</p><p>Chungyeol decided that was not the moment to question his sire so he merely replied to the owner. “I want the servant, yes.” he put a small bag of coins up the table. “And the best room.”</p><p>“Should we meet back home?” Jia questioned as Rosey sat down on his lap. Chungyeol eyed the two for a moment and then stood up.</p><p>“Don’t get drunk,” he playfully warned before giving Daroll a small bow. “I’ll see you later.”</p><p>Daroll merely nodded in response while Jia decided to tease this time around. “I won’t, dad.”</p><p>The owner took the bag of coins and bowed lightly. “Very well,” he said, turning on his heels and calling for the red haired servant girl. “Elena, your services are required.” It was but a few words, not spoken much louder than his others, but she heard him anyway and looked up in what was well acted out surprise. Putting the tray away, she calmly walked over to the group, bowing politely at the three guests.</p><p>“Sir?” she then inquired from Chungyeol, assuming that since the other two had women already he would be the one asking for her services again.</p><p>“The best room again, sweetheart.” he said, motioning for her to go first.</p><p>“Don’t even remember my name, do you?” she teased at him, a daring smirk on her lips as she preceded him to the stairs once again. “What do you need the best room for this time, sir? Going to stay longer than ten minutes perhaps?”</p><p>“If you offer me some better entertainment I might stay longer.” he retorted back enjoying the change in her tone.</p><p>“Well, there won’t be any knives this time, but I can’t promise much more than that, gorgeous.” She winked at him again but didn’t say more as she made her way over to the best room they had.</p><p>“I wonder if you could give me a gift back for all those I gave you so far.” Chungyeol asked as she closed the door behind them. As the night before Chungyeol took off his coat and threw it at the table but this time he also took off his sword and offered his precious Water Dragon to Elena. “Do you need a new sword to replace the broken one?”</p><p>She smiled at his words, settling herself down on one of the chairs at the table and totally disregarding his offer. “You think I don’t already have a replacement?” she replied somewhat amusedly. “And I would give you something back but it seems there is nothing you don’t already have or can get your hands on easily.”</p><p>“This one wouldn’t break that easily.” he put the sword up the table and took a seat on the bed. “I want my ‘mouth on something’ but I can’t do it that easily. I would need your permission first.”</p><p>“Well, that is one thing you are not getting just now,” she stated with a soft chuckle. “Perhaps it is customary where you’re from for daughters of the rebels to sell their body for the cause but I’d rather keep it for myself.” Her grin was amused regardless of the harshness of her words. “But won’t you tell me your name so I can stop referring to you as the cocky rich guy in my head?”</p><p>He smirked at her and for a moment remained silent, only looking at her face. “The name is Kim Chungyeol. And just for the record I was not talking about your body but something that runs in you.” he said as he crossed his legs and kept on looking in her eyes.</p><p>“Inside of me? Well mister Kim Chungyeol - funny name that is - I’m afraid that I won’t allow you to cut me open to touch something inside of me.” Her smile was still amused. “I think you can understand my reasons as to why this is.”</p><p>“I think I know. But regardless I still want you. But I promise you when the time comes and you decide to give me something in return it will be the most pleasurable sensation you’ll ever feel in your life,” he assured. “Now to business. Who shall be freed tonight?”</p><p>“First of all; who says I’m ever going to give you something in return?” she retorted calmly, crossing her legs and resting her elbow on the table. “And it would be nice if you freed my father tonight but they’ll notice that for sure so perhaps the second in command will work.”</p><p>Chungyeol chuckled and shook his head. “Which one is your father? Believe me they won’t ever find out the man is missing because they will believe your father had never been there.” And with those words the smirk was back on his face.</p><p>“What are you?” she asked with a roll of her eyes. “You say these things so self-assured and you jump out of a second floor window to disappear like dust in the wind. You’re like a thing from legends and myths but I’m not superstitious, so is there a clear explanation for all this or should I start getting superstitious now?”</p><p>“Legends and myths. Have you ever heard there’s some kind of truth in them? If I tell you I love the smell of your blood what legend would I fit in?” he asked raising an eyebrow suggestively.</p><p>“The ones of the bloodsuckers I guess. Makes sense with your earlier words too although I’m lightly disturbed by the fact that you wish to get your mouth on my blood,” she replied her voice having softened down. “Since you’re helping our cause I’m assuming you’re not going to drain me, mhm? That would ruin our resistance.” Her smirk returned then and she pushed her chair back a little to put her heels on the table, crossing them at her ankles. “So you’re getting my father out this time then?”</p><p>“If it helps. I could just go and kill the king like I did back at my own rebellion, but where would be the glory then for you? I’ll be assisting you from the shadows and I may have a feast later plus if you want some sword-masters on your side I could pay for them.” Chungyeol replied making no ceremony in letting his eyes run over her body.</p><p>“I don’t need glory, Mister Kim, I need my men alive to care for their families when this war is over,” Elena moved her feet from the table again and got up slightly, the fighting spirit burning in her eyes. “If you can go and kill the king as easily as you make it sound then please, be my guest, get all the glory and the gold. I’ll let my men go back to being farmers and hunters and watch their children as they learn to speak and work in freedom. I don’t need more than that,” At the end of those words she let herself sink down on her chair again, letting out a soft sigh. “Perhaps you are one of those that like all the needless killing but I don’t.”</p><p>Did he like needles killing? Chungyeol thought for a second. When he was human the answer would be no, now that he was a vampire he tried to avoid conflict, but fighting and killing became more than just survival. Elena had just reminded him of something important.</p><p>“There was a time I had been human and it was a long time ago,” he replied. His eyes lost focus for a moment as he tried to recall the memories of his childhood, of the land he had grown up at. “You made sure you had been the last to flee safely even if you had a few of you taken as prisoners. Back then I had lost many in battle and not to lose more friends I dared to cross-dress to get inside the palace. I had been so close yet I failed. At the brink of death I was offered an afterlife, and I took it. I’ve killed the one I wanted dead, and killed all of those that were still hurting my friends and their family. When I finally got them peace, I left to serve the one that had me become a vampire. I’m yet to regret that choice, but truthfully I don’t believe I ever will. I will save those they had imprisoned and then will kill the king. I am sure you’ll make good use of the gold I’ve given you. And then I will hope you’ll allow me to taste you.” He may no longer be considered human, but the same as Daroll he still held on to whatever humanity left in him.</p><p>Elena listened to him as he explained his past, taking in his words and the implications. The way he spoke it seemed like he was telling her he really was one of the creatures from the bloodsucker myths but that was impossible. Yet he had freed one of the prisoners and indeed no one had noticed so far it seemed. Her eyes remained on the man even when he got silent but there was something new in her expression now; sympathy, maybe.</p><p>He stood up after a moment of silence and took his sword from the table. “Guard my coat while I’m off. I’m taking it with me back home though. I got scolded for giving you the other one yesterday. My son was still sulking over it when we got here, it was his favorite creation.” And saying that he calmly walked to the window.</p><p>“Chungyeol,” the young woman said as she got up from her chair, reaching out and taking hold of his lower arm as if to stop him from leaving just yet. She would let go if he kept walking, though, as she didn’t want to even try to anger this stranger that apparently had become a helper of their cause - not to say their savior. “My father trusts no one he doesn’t know,” Letting go of him, she took of the hanger around her neck; a simple rope with a funny piece of apparently broken iron as a pendant, and reached it out to him. “You probably don’t need it but take this with you. If you show it to him he will know to trust you.” And she told him how to recognize her father.</p><p>Chungyeol looked back at her and reached for the strange necklace. “It may help,” the vampire said while tying it around his wrist. “I’m sure it won’t take long.” he gave her one last smirk before opening the window and jumping to the shadows. Elena would have thought he had jumped to the streets but he had actually climbed to the roof.</p><p>While on his way to the palace Chungyeol noticed there was someone following him, the smell was somewhat familiar. “Théa.” He called when he recalled from where he had felt it. In no time the female kindred was running right beside him. “Chungyeol, this game is dangerous for you now. Prince Farsah is watching closely and I am sure sooner or later the king will have a kindred on their side as well.” Chungyeol growled and stopped, causing the woman to stop as well. “Keep me informed. Give the news to Daroll as well.”</p><p>The female kindred nodded “You’re paying for the service, find me another sapphire this time.” and saying that she rushed back to the cabaret while Chungyeol resumed his journey to the torture chambers. Once again immobilizing the guards had been easy, convincing them that the number of prisoners had always been eight took a little while.</p><p>He calmly walked to the right cell, the one he knew was Elena’s father’s. He stood in front of the bars and held it with the hand he had wrapped the necklace on, hoping the man would recognize it. “Mister, I am here to take you back home.”</p><p>The man was seated against the far end of the cell. His dark hair tied together at the back of his head was covered in dirt and as he lifted his head to look at Chungyeol, the bones beneath his skin were clearly visible. Yet the pair of eyes that found those of the vampire was alive and filled with defiance. Yet that last emotion changed into surprise when his gaze caught the necklace and the man was at the bars as fast as he could manage, taking hold of the shard of iron.</p><p>“Who are you?” he asked, his voice rough with disuse and possibly also thirst. “How do you know my Elena? Is she alright?”</p><p>“Elena is fine. You could say I am a new ally. I am going to take you back to her, but you’ll have to trust me.” Chungyeol said as he used a key to unlock the cell, breaking would be easy but would give him troubles latter.</p><p>The necklace seemed to really have gotten Chungyeol the man’s full support because he took a step back with a simple nod and then stepped out until right beside him the moment the door was open. “My name is Meric, could you give me the name of my savior?” he spoke then, reaching out a bony hand.</p><p>“Kim Chungyeol,” the vampire said shortly, not taking the other’s hand but giving him a short nod. “Please close your eyes and think of something happy.” Chungyeol said then with a small smile.</p><p>Since his hand wasn’t shaken, the man reached out further to take hold of the pendant which had won his trust so easily, obviously wanting Chungyeol to let go of it so he could hold it. But even before the vampire had done so, he had closed his eyes already as well and a small smile was on his face.</p><p>Seeing that, Chungyeol quickly reached down holding the man and letting his fangs pierce the skin. The blood was not so good but there was a lingering of a rich taste. Soon the man was engulfed by a strong wave of happiness and after short five heartbeats he was falling unconscious in Chungyeol’s arms. The vampire carefully healed the bite mark and put the man on his back, trying to be careful with the wounds as best as he could before leaving the chambers.</p><p>Going out was more troublesome with the dead weight but nothing Chungyeol couldn’t do. Some ten minutes later he was back at the cabaret. With some difficulty he reached the window and held on to the small balcony. “Elena.” He called softly wondering if the room was still his.</p><p>When Chungyeol left, the young woman had gone to instruct for his friends to get the best service and had then fetched the coat the vampire had left the day before. After her orders had been given and she had checked everything to be fine, she had settled herself in the room to wait for him again. Not long after she was back there was a knock on the window and a woman dressed in all black was sitting at the balcony looking at her. “Greetings, human.” the stranger said.</p><p>Elena didn’t even move from her spot near the table as she let her eyes go over the other, but one hand did move to one of her daggers, unnoticeable to human eyes. “Greetings... non-human I assume.” she replied.</p><p>“Ex-human could be too. I just paid Daroll a small visit but I figured I could stop by to give you the warning as well. Things may get difficult for Chungyeol in a few days. We usually don’t meddle with your wars, but since Chungyeol is interfering there’s a chance your enemy will get some supernatural help as well. So I’ll be around to guard this place for a while. My name is Théa if you need me just call my name.” the female vampire said smiling somewhat evilly.</p><p>Elena eyed the other for a moment before offering her a smile purely out of politeness. “I don’t think I will, but thanks for the heads up,” she stated then, nodding once as a sign that she had gotten the message and the other could leave again now.</p><p>Théa nodded once and disappeared into the darkness after that. Elena herself remained seated on her chair until there was some noises near the window again and soon the call of her name. She was up on her feet as fast as she could manage, rushing over to the balcony to greet her father, only to find him passed out on Chungyeol’s back.</p><p>“What happened to him?” she immediately inquired, her voice slightly blaming.</p><p>“I put him to sleep my speed is not human firendly.” He said getting in the room and taking the man to the bed. “I had to feed too. He’ll wake up soon from the happiest dream he had so far.” His tone was slightly playful, slightly reassuring but neither seemed to hit with Elena, whose expression had turned furious.</p><p>“You had to what!?” she hissed, her both daggers in hands, eyes flashing with her anger. “You said you’d get him out of there not make him your dinner. Did you even look at him? Isn’t he weak enough already?” Her anger came mostly out of her worry but part of it was disappointment, something that was visible by the light disgust in her expression when she turned to look at Chungyeol again.</p><p>“I couldn’t carry him with him being awake, Elena. Biting him was the only way I had to get him unconscious without hurting him. When he wakes up he’ll remember he fainted, he won’t remember the bite. I’m only letting you know what I am. I’m running out of time in a way I didn’t expect so I’m leaving again to bring as many as I can...” His words faltered by the end of his speech, the female vampire he had hired to help was asking if he would need help. “Yes, Théa,” he said closing his eyes for a moment and sighing. “Elena, set someone at the back door to wait for me. You can stay here and take care of your father. And also... ” He stopped again not sure if she would abide to his last request.</p><p>Even though she did not lower her daggers she did seem to be listening to his words, but it was only the realization that she’d need the man to get the least possible casualties in this war that had her relaxing her stance after a moment. “Also what?” she asked him then, putting one knife back in her boot and the other one in its original spot on her belt, beneath her blouse. When they were both hidden like before, she lifted her head to catch his gaze.</p><p>“Could you ask someone to bring Jia here?” He decided to request that other than ask her to allow him to feed on her.</p><p>She nodded once before suddenly tilting her head a little and then smiling almost embarrassed. “Who is Jia?”</p><p>“The one with Rosey,” he replied softly, a small smile playing on his lips at the thought of interrupting whatever the humans were doing at that moment. “Tell him I need him.”</p><p>“Okay, someone at the back door, get Jia, anything else? Maybe you wish for me to bring you some food on a plate?” she replied, her voice going colder again. “Oh wait...” One look at her father was enough to clarify why there was once again anger in her voice. “I am grateful to you for helping out, sir, but I will give you all your gold back and you can find your way out of my city when this is over.”</p><p>Chungyeol eyed her for a moment and then walked to sit at the balcony by the window. “Jia doesn’t fit on a plate.” he replied. “But I indeed need ‘food’.” he said closing his eyes once again.</p><p>“You’re going to feed from that young man too? Is that what he is? Your walking food supply?” This time it was not anger but shock in her voice and eyes. “Does he know or does he also wake up from great dreams without a single memory?”</p><p>“Once he gets here you’ll know. We’re wasting time with useless conversation.” His tone became cold then, Jia was his weak spot.</p><p>Elena opened her mouth as if to answer but closed it again then and turned on her heels, pacing out of the room. She went first to put someone at the door, then inquired about the room Rosey was occupying and walked in after three short knocks. “Rosey, your services have been most appreciated but you can go now.” she stated calmly, hardly caring about the activities the two were involved in.</p><p>Rosey was on the bed while Jia was already getting dressed. The human looked at the rebel leader and frowned. “Where’s Chungyeol?” He had the feeling the vampire had been calling for him, their blood doll connection having him ending his night with the hooker already.</p><p>“He says he needs you to get him his dinner.” Elena tactfully explained, glancing at Rosey shortly before stepping aside so that the half-dressed woman could leave the room.</p><p>Jia frowned. “Take me to him.”</p><p>For a moment Elena seemed surprised but then she frowned lightly. “Are you aware of his...” she got stuck there but looked at the tall man questioningly, assuming that if he was aware, he would know what she was trying to ask him.</p><p>But Jia didn’t reply, only walked to the door bypassing her into the corridor. “Which room, miss?” he questioned his tone edgy.</p><p>“The one on the end to the right.” she replied. If he didn’t ask for actual food then it was clear he was aware of what would happen and she wasn’t going to interfere in their business. If this tall man didn’t mind that was his choice but she didn’t want to be there to watch. So she decided to follow him but stay outside the door until the tall one came out again.</p><p>Jia walked inside the room without any more words, yet the moment he opened the door he spoke again. “You had said one per night! I don’t want you risking yourself alone inside that damn palace, Chungyeol.”</p><p>Chungyeol snorted. “I’m paying Théa to go with me.”</p><p>Jia walked closer with a worried expression. “She’s a mercenary, Chungyeol, let me go with you.”</p><p>Chungyeol shook his head. “No, I want you here to protect Elena.” the vampire said firmly as he held Jia close. “I’ll rescue just four more tonight.”</p><p>“That’s too risky.” Jia mumbled but there was no use discussing with Chungyeol. The vampire had already sunk his fangs in the human’s neck. The blood doll was filled with the security and love from vivid images of his parents cuddling his child self. And then the feeling was gone, the arms around him were gone and Jia stared helplessly at the night.</p><p>Elena had been waiting at the door, getting some muffled sounds of the two people talking before things went silent. She waited a while longer before turning slightly and knocking on the door, wanting to get back to her father so she could look after him.</p><p>“Come in.” Jia said softly, almost sadly. She opened the door and stepped inside, carrying the bowl of water and the cloth she had told someone to bring her. Putting said things down on the side of the bed, she eased down on it carefully and dipped the cloth in the water to gently clean her father’s forehead and face with it. She basically ignored the tall male in the room, not because of who he was but simply because she was too worried about her father to pay attention to him.</p><p>Jia noticed the coats on the table and walked to them letting his hands roam over the soft clothes, ones he had carefully designed for Chungyeol. And then his hands were up his neck and he sighed.</p><p>“Do you need anything?” Elena asked at that sound, not looking up but her voice had been soft and friendly, a whole change from before.</p><p>“Just him getting back safely,” Jia said finally looking at her, his tone also friendly. “You’ve caused a great impact on him, you know? I only saw him this set on something once.” the human confided then with a small smile.</p><p>“Really? Well he caused a great impact on me too. So great even that if you and the other sir weren’t such nice people I would’ve kicked you out by now. No offence, it’s nothing personal.” She looked up from her father’s face only to dip the cloth in the water again and now clean his neck as well.</p><p>“No offence taken. We do not trust others so much either,” Jia nodded. “In fact if he had gone alone I wouldn’t be this worried. I wish he had taken Daroll with him, not that Théa. But they refuse to leave me without protection. Sometimes it sucks he doesn’t let me fight with him.”</p><p>“Well you don’t look like much of a fighter but looks can be deceitful,” she replied, only then putting the cloth aside and looking up at him. “How long have you been together if he still wants to keep you all protected and happy?”</p><p>“Close to three hundred years.” Jia whispered all proud as if each second more was to be celebrated as a whole year. “I am a half vampire, miss.”</p><p>“Oh.” she said softly, but even though her expression didn’t show her surprise, the way she was frozen in spot made it clear that this was not news she had expected. There was a moment of silence before she breathed in slowly and then exhaled a soft “three hundred...?”</p><p>“Yes. He saved my life many times so far, but there were two specific moments I’ll never forget... Vampires shall never be trusted, miss. But...”</p><p>“Yeah, alright, stop there,” Elena tried to interrupt him, looking up at him and waiting for him to stop before she spoke again. “I don’t particularly care so please stop talking. The less I know the happier I’ll be. And don’t tell my father any of this when he wakes up, please.”</p><p>“You can trust Chungyeol, miss. And I won’t say a thing. I have received orders not to spread the secret. But you know so I can talk.” Jia said shutting his mouth right after as he walked back to the window. “Dad, be safe.” he murmured softly to the wind.</p><p>“So are you the son whose best coat he left here?” Elena asked after another while of silence. “Because I left it on the table over there. You can have it back.” She had regained her normal composure again and smiled lightly at the tall male now, apparently having found some sort of cordiality towards him.</p><p>Jia chuckled. “The coat is his. I made it for him. I’m a tailor, miss. That coat is one of my best creations. I was a bit jealous I guess, because he gave it to you. You can keep it. Just make sure to sell it at a high price, I only use the best material.”</p><p>“I’m not keeping it. We’re not keeping anything of his, you can have all that back.” She thought it over for a moment and then hummed. “I’ll consider the rent of this room and the girl void as a sign of our gratitude to him.”</p><p>Jia smiled hearing that. “If you say so.” Somehow he pictured Chungyeol leaving the city after rescuing the prisoners and killing the king without even giving her a chance to give them back. “You’ll hurt him, though. Once he gives you something he only expects one thing in return.”</p><p>“He should have specified before giving.” she replied calmly. “By not doing so he took away my right to choose for myself whether I wish to give him what he wants or not and then I could have rejected his laughable amount of gold and richdom.”</p><p>“He expects you to make good use of what he gives you.” Jia shook his head. “I can tell he wants to taste you too. But he won’t do it if you do not allow. He doesn’t consider you food.” Jia replied and refused to say anything else until Chungyeol was back and they could go home.</p><p>“Oh great,” Elena sarcastically uttered, but before she could say more her attention was drawn by her father again who appeared to wake up but had just actually stirred in his sleep. The room was filled with silence for about another hour when Chungyeol came back knocking at the back door holding on to two unconscious humans and then going away once more. It took another two hours for him to be back, his expression slightly tired as he entered the bedroom by the window.</p><p>The first rays of sun appeared by the horizon as Jia threw himself at the vampire in a crushing hug. “Let’s go home.” Chungyeol said softly. The two paid no attention to Elena as they exited the room leaving her behind and joining Daroll at the hall. The older vampire wearing a reprimanding expression on his face.</p><p>Elena watched them go without another word. Their departure didn’t bother her much as she kept her guard at her father’s bedside. By the time he woke up, she had asked for dinner to be brought to the room and was calmly eating it. Her happiness at seeing him awake and alright was big, of course, but the smile on her face faltered when the first thing he asked was “Where is the nice gentleman who helped me out?”</p><p>After giving him a short explanation of the four other people Chungyeol had saved that night and then telling a white lie that he had gone home to rest, she was scolded by her father for not having thanked him appropriately and then was told to go find the nice young man to do so after all, if not that night then the next day.</p><p>But the next night, differently from the previous ones, none of the rich young men appeared at the cabaret. Instead the last four prisoners were left at the back door and no trace of the vampires was found.</p><p>The next morning the capital was burning with hot gossips, they were all about the ten prisoners escaping the last night from the palace and the warning written in blood in the king’s bedroom. Elena heard of them too but decided not to worry about them too much. What she did do, however, was call for Théa. But the vampire did not show up. After a grumbled curse, she put on a cloak and left the cabaret.</p><p>Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea for the daughter of the rebels’ leader to walk around the city with such rumors going around but she had to find this bloodsucker male in order to fulfill her father’s wish. Besides, they did owe him some gratitude for saving all their imprisoned friends without any casualties on their side. She had no idea where to look for him, so she simply went around the city trying to catch more of the rumors and find him at the same time.</p><p>“Do you know it’s not safe to be out right now?” someone whispered to her at one street. When she looked at the person she saw blood red irises of the stranger talking to her.</p><p>But then the next thing she knew she was being held by the waist by someone else and was going up at the sky. The one holding her landed on a roof before she was pulled over his back. “Shut your eyes.” Chungyeol’s familiar voice sounded before they were moving at a high speed.</p><p>She had closed her eyes at his words although she wasn’t sure why and even though she could feel they were moving she didn’t know how fast as she wasn’t able to see the surroundings flashing by, something she probably would be rather content about if she had known this fact.</p><p>Moments later they halted and her surrounding became completely dark. “Young lady, stay here for a while. I have some heads to cut off.” Right after he said that a new dim luminosity appeared. She seemed to be in some sort of basement. Other than them only Jia was there looking beyond annoyed. “Jia, only leave this place if it’s not safe.” Chungyeol ordered as he put her down and turned to leave once again. No protests were heard from the male human but the annoyed expression was still there.</p><p>Elena herself was too dazed after just opening her eyes to give any sort of protest so when Chungyeol left she merely sank down into a sitting position and closed her eyes again, breathing in and out deeply and slowly with the least amount of sound possible. Only after a few of those breaths did she open her eyes again to glance up at the tall male. His face still looked like thunder and even in the dim light his annoyance was obvious. She decided not to ask, instead turning her gaze back to the ground and simply waiting for someone else to show up and hopefully also let her out.</p><p>Hours seemed to pass without anyone showing up but at one point sounds echoed from somewhere and Jia stilled before cursing, swiftly he walked to Elena and held her arm tightly, but without hurting. “We’ve been found. Stand up.” He tried to make her move but it was unnecessary as she got up immediately.</p><p>Jia reached for something in his pocket and gave her a small red glass bottle. “Drink this and maybe we’ll have a chance to escape.” he said urgently, already pulling her to an iron door that was behind them. Even though she wanted to question him about the substance she merely unscrewed the bottle and poured its contents down her throat. A swallow and a disgusted expression later she had done as he had instructed. Even though she didn’t like Chungyeol much, she trusted him and this tall male as well so with her experience in wars and hiding she had immediately done as he said, assuming it was their best chance of survival like he had said.</p><p>“What do we do?” she questioned softly, handing him back the small bottle - now empty.</p><p>Right as she said that a vampire appeared behind them, Jia pulled the iron door out of the wall and threw it at the enemy. “We run.” he replied Elena then, holding her hand and pulling her along the new corridor open to them. While they were running Jia reached to his side and handed her a black sword. “You’re a better fighter than me so you fight him if he catches up, but I hope he won’t. Newborn speed is fantastic after all.”</p><p>“How can he not catch up with us, he’s a bloodsucker!” she protested but as she said it she suddenly realized that the speed with which they had crossed the corridor had been inhumane and suddenly his choice of words got through to her. “Newborn?” she shrieked, but it didn’t make her run any less fast or have an any less secure grip on the sword he had given her.</p><p>“Well, Chungyeol doesn’t let me walk around without a bottle of his blood. Just in case he cannot give it to me when I need it. You are half vampire right now. But don’t worry, you’ll become full human in three or four weeks in the most. It’s not permanent.” he said turning left on an intersection and then jumping up to reach a hole at the corridor’s ceiling. “Come!”</p><p>Elena was glad he had clarified that this wasn’t a permanent thing because otherwise she might just have stopped after all to let herself get killed by their attacker. Even though she herself didn’t immediately realize what Jia was doing, her new reflexes had her jumping after him, the sword securely against her side so that she wouldn’t hurt anyone with it.</p><p>“Can you at least explain to me why this guy is chasing us?” she asked at the same time. “And why I can’t just stop and kill him.”</p><p>“It’s a long story, let try to give you a short version. Most of the vampires in this region are mercenaries, if you pay they do what you want. Yesterday, Chungyeol and Théa were attacked and she died. Chungyeol came back with a grave wound. Daroll and I helped him rescue the last prisoners but there were three other vampires at the king’s side now. And really if you want to try your luck in killing him be my guest.” Jia explained not stopping his erratic run. “Yet Chungyeol ordered me to run and fight only if I can’t get him off my tail.”</p><p>“Well I don’t like people sitting on my tail.” Elena replied, immediately stopping and turning around, the sword in her right hand. “Experience taught me after a while you get hurt anyway.” Twisting the hilt of the sword in her hand she grinned lightly when her senses felt the other vampire’s approach more than she saw it. She had no clue how this was going to work out but the feeling of having a sword in hand was both reassuring and comforting.</p><p>“Bring it on, bloodsucker!” she called out almost happily as she jumped towards the other, noticing his movements as he pulled out two scimitars of his own – Jia learned the scimitar was a trade mark of the region for the vampires. The adrenaline in her blood heightened her senses even more and a confident grin brightened up her features. The first attack was uncontrolled and somewhat messy, her fighter’s instinct needing to accommodate with her faster speed and her new-found strength but when the vampire moved to strike she parried automatically.</p><p>“Hey Jia! How do I kill this thing?” she called out after another two parried strikes, realizing that she had no clue if stabbing it like she would with a normal person would kill this one too. Her guess was no and since she wanted it dead she would have to ask for a proper way to do so. Yet despite her lack of knowledge on how to kill this thing she did know how to fight and her sword kept cutting through the air with an almost impossible speed and agility of which she was sure it wasn’t all hers.</p><p>“Cut the head off!” Jia instructed as he had stopped and was watching the fight with fire in his eyes. A smirk appeared on his face as he recalled the order he received and the next second the vampire she was fighting had a dagger buried in his side. “Take that!” Jia cheered as the enemy growled in pain and shot him a murderous glare.</p><p>It was only part of a second long that the enemy’s attention wasn’t fully on her but it was enough for Elena to strike. One slash had the vampire’s right arm falling to the ground, separated from the rest of his body, and in the same movement his head followed. Leaning down a little she cleaned her sword on the man’s clothes before pulling out Jia’s dagger and handing it back to him.</p><p>“Nice move there, mister run and hide.” she grinned at the tall male, twisting the sword in her hand as she looked at their surroundings. “What do we do now?”</p><p>“Well he was not on my tail anymore so why would I run?” Jia replied cheerfully. “Now we burn him,” he said. Picking up the head he continued to run. Ahead Elena could see some sunlight and the moment they reached the beam of light Jia held the vampire’s head under it. Almost instantly the head dissolved to ashes.</p><p>“Well, am I glad it’s still day and this part of the myth is also true at least.” Elena stated with a soft chuckle in her voice, even though her facial expression was probably more disgusted than amused. Despite how she enjoyed the thrill of fighting, the end result of killing people had never been something she even remotely liked. “Are there any others after us?” she asked Jia then, inclining her head towards the setting sun. “Because then we better find us a torch somewhere in case we need to do some more burning.”</p><p>“I don’t think so. Chungyeol said he was going to kill the king and then talk to Farsah. Let’s say the guy is the king of the vampires in this area. So no, I think we’ll be safe now. But it’s probably going to be goodbye anyway tonight.” Jia said walking back from the way they had come from.</p><p>“Aw, too bad, that was actually kind of fun.” Elena pouted lightly, but then her grin returned as she followed along with Jia, handing him the sword back. “I guess you can have this again for safekeeping in that scabbard.” Her eyes went over their surroundings and she hummed softly as if understanding something. “So where are we going to now then?”</p><p>“Back to where Chungyeol had left us. It’s the first place he’ll look at when things are safe again. I don’t want him to freak out at not finding us.” Jia replied taking the sword back and placing it in its scabbard. “When we get there we can decide over going back to the cabaret or not.” Jia pondered to himself if he should tell her that majority of the customers at the cabaret were vampires enjoying safe easy meals and that was why he didn’t know exactly in which room Daroll and Changyeol were.</p><p> “Alright. Race you.” Elena stated happily, immediately kicking up the speed and following their scent back to where they came from with a playful attitude that didn’t quite fit the recent happenings.</p><p>Jia stared after her, shocked to the core before running after the girl, deciding it was safer not to say anything about the vampires. Too bad for her, his legs were longer and he had quite the experience running so many times after Chungyeol as training or from enemies to save his life. He got there first. Or was supposed to because before arriving at the final point Jia smelled a faint scent of a vampire, one he didn’t know, and immediately came to a halt.</p><p>Elena, although playful and focused on racing, noticed his sudden stop and even before she had reached him fully, she had also frozen completely in her movements, only easing up to his side before looking around with a small frown. “What is it?” she asked in the softest of tones, a sound that would not even be heard by vampire ears further away than a few steps. She scanned their surroundings but didn’t immediately see a threat, yet her hand was already on the hilt of the sword at Jia’s hip, ready to draw it when necessary.</p><p>“There’s a vampire ahead. Do you smell something sweet in the air?” he asked softly taking a cautious step ahead. “It’s not Chungyeol’s scent, neither it is Daroll’s. Worse is: I don’t know who this smell belongs to.” he added.</p><p>Upon hearing that clarification, Elena drew the sword after all and held it ready to defend herself if necessary. “Now that you pointed it out I smell it indeed. We’ll see if this one comes to us, if it doesn’t all the better, if it does I’ll be ready.” she stated calmly. “Or will you start running again?”</p><p>Hearing the last question Jia pretty much pouted at her. “You know I’m not sure if the point got through yet or not. Chungyeol is overprotective and I can’t defy his orders, even if I want to fight I wouldn’t be able to in most of the cases,” Jia said practically with a huff. “The last order I received was to run if a vampire came in after me. This new one being a foe or not is not included in the previous order, so if it comes I have two platinum daggers with me.” He nodded to himself at his last words.</p><p>“Alright, good, try surprising it with some stabs again, that was a nice distraction, gave me a clear opening.” Elena said, lifting her free hand to pat him on the back as if to reassure him that it was okay. She looked around still, however, waiting for this creature to show itself so that she could have some more fun.</p><p>Jia took another step ahead and then steadily went forward to check on the vampire, he smelled some other funny scents he was curious about, that vampire smelled differently from the other vampires in the city. Elena, out of a lack of knowledge about their surroundings, walked along with him cautiously, her sword ready to attack or defend when necessary.</p><p>When they were close enough to the room Chungyeol had previously left them at, an old yet jovial voice sounded. “There you are... Blood Dolls holding one of my creations. Where did you get that, human girl?”</p><p>“From this kid over here.” Elena replied, motioning to Jia with her free hand, still not relaxing from her defensive stand as she hadn’t spotted their opponent yet.</p><p>“Wait... you said one of your creations? Are you The Artisan?” Jia asked his voice sounding hopeful and yet surprised. He continued to walk so he could see the legendary vampire they had been looking for.</p><p>“Surely interesting. They finally came to look for me. Now I know the time has come once again for these old hands to craft. Human, I look forward to meeting your master,” the voice spoke and then the smell started to dissipate. “Meet me at the scorpion mount. I’ll be waiting.” and with that the presence was fully gone. Jia started to run again in vain hope to still see the vampire but indeed the guy was gone. Yet there was a wide smile on his face.</p><p>Elena, however, did not chase after the other with Jia, instead she remained in her spot, lowering her hand with the sword and calmly continuing her way to the place where Chungyeol had left them earlier. Yet this time she herself kept scanning for the sweet scent that she had now linked with vampires in order to make sure that there wouldn’t be any strangers on her path.</p><p>When she arrived at the place Jia was chuckling to himself. She gave him a weird look but then handed him back the sword and sat down once again. “Do you want to go back to your father?” he asked cheerfully then.</p><p>“Depends, will Chungyeol go there?” she replied softly, the playfulness having disappeared from her demeanor as she thought about the bloodsucker, her mood becoming gloomy.</p><p>Jia looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. “If I am there he will... I don’t think he really wants to talk with you though.”</p><p>“It’s alright, I just have to say one thing then he can go,” she hummed lightly, getting up from her seated position again then so she could look at him. “I’d like to go back to my father, yes.”</p><p>Jia nodded and then pulled out one of his daggers, he approached the wall and wrote |Cabaret. Ji.| in their mother language so other people wouldn’t know easily what that said. “Ok let’s go.” he said walking to the exit in silence.</p><p>Once they were out of the dark tunnel Elena noticed they were actually at the other end of the capital where the abandoned port was. Jia told her that by running at her inhuman speed she would be practically invisible to human eyes, therefore the way to the rebel’s hideout was fast and safe. Once there, Elena went back to take care of her father in the room he was resting and Jia followed her, not up to any kind of entertainment. The night fully fell and for the whole of it there were no more signs of vampires as the cabaret had been closed for the night.</p><p>When the sun was up again there were loud bangs at the front door and then a lot of noise came from downstairs. Elena immediately was up on her feet, hurrying to the top of the stairs to check what was going on and see whether she had to either hide or help out.</p><p>Yet halfway there she actually noticed the noise was celebration. “Elena! The king’s head was at the palace’s gate! The whole of the Royal family is dead!” one of the rebels exclaimed “And it’s said one of the counselors will be king on his place! The tyranny will be over!”</p><p>The young woman listened to these news in surprise but instead of replying or going down to her men to celebrate along, she quickly made her way back to the room, as if afraid that the bloodsucker would come and take his son with him without a word.</p><p>The moment she got there Jia was indeed not in the room anymore, yet with her new senses of a half vampire she smelled the strong sweet scent coming from another room, the one Daroll had previously used.</p><p>She growled softly but checked up on her father again first before moving to that room, once again politely knocking but this time not entering just like that. Instead she waited for an answer or someone opening the door for her.</p><p>The door was opened and she was faced with Daroll looking at her with a neutral expression, he moved aside to let her in. Jia was holding on to Chungyeol whose back was facing her. The human had a blissful expression on his face while Chungyeol’s was buried in his neck. A moment later she could see Chungyeol’s head moving and his tongue tracing a line at the other’s neck right after Jia’s expression turned worried once again. “Was it enough?” the human asked softly and Chungyeol nodded.</p><p>“Thank you for taking care of Jia, Elena. We’ll go now.” Chungyeol said not looking at her.</p><p>“Chungyeol, that’s not what we had agreed upon.” Daroll spoke reprimanding, receiving a huff from said vampire as reply.</p><p>“I just wanted to...” Elena herself started after hearing the huff, frowning lightly when she reached that part of her sentence and hesitating for a moment. She let her eyes go over the bloodsucker’s back and let out another sigh then. “Just, thank you for helping us out. I really appreciate it. And I’m sorry for behaving like a total...” Another hesitation but this time because she couldn’t find the right bad word for her behavior, that wasn’t too impolite to say. “Well a very ill-mannered person anyway. I’m honestly grateful that you saved my men and my father. If you’re leaving I wish you all a good journey.”</p><p>The words had been spoken fast aside from the two hesitations and once she finished she inclined her head once in Daroll’s direction as a polite greeting, then lifted a hand in a friendly wave towards Jia before she turned on her heels and used her current enhanced speed to make her way back to the room her father inhabited.</p><p>Before she could get in the room though a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back, she landed against Chungyeol’s chest, his nose touching her neck. “He gave you my blood,” he took a deep sniff and then let go. “Too bad I can’t order you around.” He caressed her face one last time and then turned around to finally leave.</p><p>There were questions going through Elena’s mind. Things to say like ‘what would you order?’ and the safer ‘yeah he did, it was disgusting’ but what eventually came out of her mouth was a soft but audible: “Stay?” She hadn’t really wanted to order him so even though it wasn’t said in a questioning tone, the softness and the slight insecurity she allowed to seep into her voice showed that it wasn’t an actual order but more of a suggestion. She didn’t move from her position, her gaze still lingering on the spot where moments earlier his chest had been.</p><p>“I have a mission to fulfill. I might stop by again on my way back home from it.” He said, before he entered the room and disappeared from her sight, his sweet scent slowly disappearing as well along with Daroll’s and Jia’s. She lifted her head slowly to look at the door of the now empty room, staring at it for a few more moments before she went back to her father, hoping he would wake up again soon as she was starting to get worried for him.</p><p>Chungyeol and Daroll took Jia back home to get a change of clothes and rest. Back at the cabaret Jia told them about the encounter with whom he believed to be The Artisan. That day the human took to sleep in since they had agreed to leave the next day without any horse, just trusting their supernatural speed. Daroll had been the only one to go out that night. The vampire sire paid a visit to Prince Farsah to request their belongings to be taken care of while they would be out of town. After paying for the service Daroll went back home stopping shortly at the cabaret without anyone noticing him.</p><p>Elena was still taking care of her father, who was awake and getting informed of what had happened. The human girl seemed to be using her new acquired abilities in a good way and without blabbering about it. He knew he shouldn’t have, but still he managed to go inside the room Hazel was entertaining a customer and knock the guy out so he could have the girl one more night. Indulge her in his lies was an easy task, but her taste was too bitter for him to really enjoy.</p><p>The next morning Chungyeol asked where he had been, but the lingering smell was better answer than the white lie Daroll had answered him with. The small bit of scent from Elena made the younger vampire not ask further, but he was still going to ask eventually, especially if when they were back Daroll would go look once again for the brown haired girl at the cabaret.</p><p>The three left before the sun was fully up in the sky, taking with them nothing but their weapons and some bags of coins and jewels. Chungyeol remained silent for the rest of their trip trying to imagine what was ahead of him and trying his best to keep his mind from Elena and into his healing process, despite drinking a lot of blood to heal faster he was still in a lot of pain from the wounds he was hiding.</p><p>The Scorpion Mount was a set of rocks more to the northwest of Elena’s city. They were called like that because they resembled two scorpions facing each other, as if fighting. A normal human would get there in a month worth travel, but using their enhanced speed they got there in three days. Much to Jia’s bliss because he felt like he couldn’t take any more steps.</p><p>“He said the black sword is one of his creations? But it doesn’t have any kind of special power.” Daroll pondered as they could finally see the Scorpion Mount, expecting the question would make Chungyeol speak and loose some of the gloom feel to him. But the younger vampire was spacing out and not paying attention to the concern in Daroll’s and Jia’s eyes.</p><p>“Yes,” Jia replied tiredly. “He also said he looks forward at seeing my master.” He managed to say after a few more steps finally getting Chungyeol to look at him but the vampire still said nothing.</p><p>Daroll was about to reply Jia’s comment when another kindred’s presence was felt. The three of them looked around until they spotted blue where it was not supposed to be. On some large rocks stood a female kindred, dressed in a blue and golden sari. The small coven stopped and they stared trying to figure out if the new presence was a foe or not.</p><p>After a while the lady showed them her back and jumped to a lower part hidden from their eyes. It sparked in both Daroll and Chungyeol a need to chase and therefore they ran after her. Jia protested but tried to keep up. Unfortunately for the human he was just too tired of the three days of no sleep and sparse food.</p><p>“Help Jia.” Daroll said after Chungyeol had looked behind for the fourth time, before the younger vampire could say anything his sire sneaked between two rocks and disappeared in what seemed to be an underground natural entrance between the rocks, leaving his two companions behind. No normal human could just jump down where they were to find that entrance.</p><p>Daroll blindly followed the smell as after a few turns there was no light whatsoever for him to see where he was going. Yet soon the female smell slowly got mixed with another kindred and also some very unusual smells. He couldn’t put a finger in what those actually were.</p><p>The kindred felt a turn to the left and so he was greeted with a faint bluish light. A few steps forward he was inside a large natural grotto, to the left there was a spring, to the right a blacksmith station illuminated by torches blazing a blue fire. Daroll felt extremely edgy in there because in front of him stood both the female kindred and the owner of the second smell, most probably the Artisan.</p><p>But for some reason Daroll couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman, her ethereal presence caused by the light casted a spell over him. Slowly his surrounding started to disappear, only the glow of the torches and the kindred existed in front of him. She approached slowly. And suddenly each detail of her hit him as she reached a hand to touch his face. Her nails were long and painted in gold, sharp as their fangs, her hands had strange markings going up her arms as if a disease was staining the white marble, veins going up like a branch of a dead tree. There were similar markings up the left side of her face hidden under the clothe of her sari that formed some kind of hood. Her sparkling blue eyes locked with his and he saw himself and the only woman he had ever loved in his life. His wife.</p><p>He saw the day he had been embraced into a requiem, saw how she had been tortured and killed right in front of his eyes, the grief he had gone through, the memories he had of their family was the only thing keeping him attached to his human nature.</p><p>“You’ve done something terrible,” The female voice spoke, lips barely brushing against his ear as she had hugged him. And there he saw himself and that dammed scroll. It had been one of his escapades from Domenic, he stumbled upon some old rites of necromancy, a different bloodline than his, yet the moment he read about the possibility of summoning souls and controlling them, indulging them to reincarnate in another body was too tempting, it was a way to bring her back. He wanted her back so much.</p><p>“You’ve played with destiny,” He felt his mouth dry. The kindred was right, he should have never done that. But he did, he thoroughly casted the spell, he had managed to have a faint glimpse of his beloved. She had warned him to stop, that he shouldn’t because it was not in his blood to be able to do that. He would end up killing himself. But he had been able to see her, to hear her. He needed her.</p><p>“You’ve betrayed your kind,” There he disagreed with her. He had never felt himself a true kindred. If a bloodline heritage was in the way, he would have that by force. He had been embraced a Dragon, not a Moriaty but being a Dragon he knew how to acquire that by force. It was that knowledge, that certainty he could do that that had led him to his worst mistake … and led him to Chungyeol. He had sought a Moriaty and completely strengthened by the sheer desire of having his wife back he managed to outstand his opponent and drain the whole of his vitae and soul. The result was a failed ritual to force his beloved’s soul to reincarnate. She inhabited a new body, but he couldn’t find her before she had already been made possession of a male human. She would permanently be reborn, but never to belong to him again if he had not been the first to possess her.</p><p>“Your destiny is fascinating,” The voice breathed in his ear and he woke up from the reverie. The female kindred was still beside the other vampire a few feet away from him and not a second later Chungyeol and Jia entered the grotto and flanked him.</p><p>Chungyeol frowned slightly at seeing how extremely pale his sire was, as if all his vitae had been drained of him and any bit of sunlight would make him disappear. He was ready to question his well being when the artisan spoke. The same mix of jovial and old voice Jia had heard before, but the reverberation in there made it sound sinister and the three of them felt goose bumps all over. Especially because the kindred was using a black long mantle that completely hid his face. It seemed like he was only a bunch of shadows in a solid form.</p><p>“I’ve been waiting quite a while. Those trackers had been really slow. You had sought me, so here I am,” He had been looking at Daroll but then his gaze fell over Jia. “Who is your master, Blood Doll?” he questioned but then almost immediately looked at Chungyeol. “Slightly disappointing but still interesting nevertheless.”</p><p>He walked closer and reached a marble white hand to Jia. “The sword.” For some reason Jia obeyed that simple order as if it had been said by Chungyeol in his crucial tone and he gave the kindred the black sword Adrian had trusted to them, as a gift for the artisan. Neither Chungyeol nor Daroll could have done anything at that moment. There was a pressure on the air making them unable to neither move or to speak.</p><p>“You. Daroll.” The artisan spoke with a disgusted tone. “Your sire must not think of you as special anymore,” Said vampire narrowed his eyes at the Artisan. “A Prince had sent you to me claiming to know I would certainly craft for the both of you. He was right at one point. I will craft only for the worthy one.” And saying that, he pointed the sword at Daroll. Chungyeol growled in warning to the older kindred. Never mind he wouldn’t stand a chance, nobody pointed a weapon at Daroll in front of him.</p><p>“Such loyalty makes of you, Kim Chungyeol, a very interesting specimen. Not worthy enough. Yet.” The artisan mused smiling evilly. “A kindred with such humanity is not worthy a weapon crafted by me. You risked your neck for humans that had no clue what you were, and even after they found out, you had already done so much for them none had gone against you, they actually love you. Your loyalty to them and to your sire is admirable, but not worthy enough.” The Artisan kept on talking, his eyes fixed in Chungyeol’s causing the younger vampire to fall in somehow a similar trance that Daroll had fallen into. Just he had no memories of his own to see, in fact he saw Daroll’s past, the truth about a wife his sire had never talked about before.</p><p>The moment the Artisan’s gaze fell back over Daroll, Chungyeol gasped for air alarming both his sire and his Blood doll. This time the both of them hissed at the artisan, Daroll’s much more menacing than Jia’s.</p><p>“But you, Daroll.” He spoke the name with disgust again. “Do you know some humans believe the name they are given holds power over their lives? I guess it applied to you. Domenic couldn’t ever dream with what you were destined to do.” The Artisan continued with a lightly joking tone that still sounded sinister, before he spoke in his normal tone again “You are a truly worthy one. You’ve nurtured your hatred towards your sire since the very moment you woke up in your requiem. Despite the immense disgust you felt at seeing humans being tortured before becoming food, you’ve watched the members of your coven and most of the time succeeded in not joining them. You’ve tamed yourself, you trained yourself. You, Daroll, ruthlessly killed kindred stronger than you to acquire what you longed for and at the brink of giving everything up, at seeing a sole human you formulated a whole new plan. You broke many of our rules, but did so in a way you’ve become something interesting to watch, not something to be chased and eliminated. You are worthy for an Antediluvian like me to agree to craft a mythical weapon for you.”</p><p>The whole of his speech was said while the Artisan walked with the black sword to his blacksmith stand. “I think I know what weapon I will grant you. I’ll give you a scythe as a token of your greatest sin. I had never crafted one of those.” Daroll felt a shiver and he noticed a soul appear right beside him, despite failing to bring his wife fully back to him he continued to polish his new necromancer abilities and he could make use of two or three souls at the same time. He had casted a spell of protection around himself and that soul had been his guardian for a long time. Its appearance had alarmed him. “I’ll make of you a soul reaper.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Chungyeol managed to hiss as the artisan made a dramatic pause. The question made the ancient Kindred look at the youngest one with amusement, even if none of them could see.</p><p>“Kim Chungyeol. You are not allowed to talk.” The artisan spoke dully and Chungyeol felt the pressure of his words, the power of an Antediluvian was overwhelming not that he would ever admit it.</p><p>“I already revealed to you what your sire had never bothered to tell you. You know now he has a small control over souls, I’ll give him a gift to enhance that power.” The artisan smirked to himself as Daroll visibly stiffened and Jia looked at his master’s sire with shock.</p><p>Those words allowed a heavy silence to fall upon all of them. “I will craft for Daroll, therefore he is the only one to remain in my domains while I work, I will need him here for both weapons to be made. You Kim Chungyeol shall wait in the nearby city for your sire. You are welcome to visit, but only if you come alone, you wouldn’t want to risk your blood doll’s safety.” The Antediluvian spoke calmly with a small hint of expectation over his words.</p><p>“Both weapons? You just said you would only craft one how come now it’s two?” Jia voiced the question he was sure his sire was willing to ask despite him still being influenced by the order of not speaking. The artisan clapped in appreciation.</p><p>“He will craft one, and repair the other,” The female kindred spoke to answer the blood doll as the Artisan was already polishing the black sword. “May you come this way,” She continued leading them away from the Artisan and to the back of the grotto. Daroll decided to be wise and not to question what had been ordered of them so he followed the female. Chungyeol followed right behind him extending an arm to Jia, who moved and grabbed onto it.</p><p>“I’ve prepared a place for your blood doll to rest before you’ll leave. There’s food for all of you.” She turned to them and offered a small smile that could have been really captivating if not for the markings over her face. “You can call me Sahyoun.” She added before pointing at a hidden opening at the back of the grotto.</p><p>The three of them nodded slightly at her before heading the way she had pointed. The small passage was almost as dark as the first one, but this time there was a constant glow of those strange torches. They arrived at a second smaller grotto that also had a smaller spring, there had been placed a table with food for humans and a bed where two women had been lying.</p><p>Daroll stiffened once again as his eyes landed on Hazel, but then he was hovering above the human, checking for her vitals or any kind of injury. The action had left both Chungyeol and Jia looking after him in shock as the soul that had still been following them was also hovering above them as if worried.</p><p>“Daroll, do you know this girl from somewhere?” Chungyeol asked softly as he approached to check the other girl and make sure that red hair was not Elena’s – it was not. Daroll pulled the sleeping human in his arms and looked at her with tenderness.</p><p>“He really showed you? That I had summoned the soul of my dead wife and forced it to reincarnate?” his words had been tired and sad, to answer Chungyeol just nodded. Jia had approached them as well looking at the humans with care.</p><p>“She did not reincarnate only once. This is actually the fifth time she crosses my path. Hazel is somehow my wife. A different body, a different personality, but the same soul. She’s also looking for me, but as part of the ritual I’ve made, I can only embrace her if she has ever only been touched by me.”</p><p>Hearing those words both Jia and Chungyeol were left speechless, there was so much pain and sorrow in Daroll’s expression. They felt hopeless for not being able to help him in any way.</p><p>“Jia, eat, clean yourself in the spring and then sleep. You need to recover.” Daroll urged with a small smile. “Chungyeol, feed as well. I will tell you everything.”</p><p>For the rest of the day Daroll telltale about his human life, about the way he discovered the necromancers’ rites many centuries later and how he forced himself to be able to perform them. After that day, Chungyeol had learned everything there was to know about Daroll, and the latter decided to never again hide anything from Chungyeol. His progeny had his full trust, there would be no secrets between them.</p><p>The next day, after Jia had woken up and eaten, Sahyoun politely requested for Chungyeol and his blood doll to leave and be back in a few days. They could be needed to find material outside. After some small bickering, Chungyeol ended up abiding and left taking with him the red haired girl but leaving Hazel with Daroll. The human girl had been placed in some kind of illusion because she moved around the grotto as if she was in her house and caring about Daroll’s needs was her only duty.</p><p>On the other hand the Artisan had not allowed him to his presence for a whole week, Sahyoun being the only one he saw as she would bring food for Hazel. For a week all Daroll did was spending his time on the human, allowing himself to enjoy her body to the fullest.</p><p>But then came the day the Artisan had called him to his presence, with slight uncertainty Daroll left hazel sleeping on the bed and moved to the larger grotto. Both the Artisan and Sahyoun were waiting for him with blank expressions, though the nameless still had his face covered. The Artisan was holding a thin sword in his hands, it had the shape of the black sword, but it was black no longer, it was shining a bluish tone and Daroll was not certain if he was just imagining some kind of white smoke coming out of it.</p><p>“I assume the Prince that sent you to me had not spoken about this sword. I know he had requested of you to bring him back a Flaming Sword. Have you ever actually seen one, Daroll?” the Artisan asked but Daroll did not bother to answer as the Artisan merely continued talking after his short pause. “Of course you did not. In fact, Dragon, this whole time your blood doll had been carrying an extinguished Flaming Sword, hence the black color of the blade. Come closer.” The artisan urged.</p><p>Cautiously Daroll approached the antediluvian kindred. “This blade was made of a complex combination of ordinary metals, yet while forging I’ve put on it a special metal that only exists in the spirit’s helm. For it to blaze in spiritual fire again I need one last component: your blood.”</p><p>Daroll took a step back ready to protest but the Artisan’s tongue was still faster. “I do not need to kill you, I wouldn’t kill such a worthy kindred, Daroll. I want to watch your destiny unfold,” There was amazement in the Elder’s tone. “A few centuries back I’ve crafted Bloody Swords with my own blood as part of the ritual, they can only be held by those who seek the annihilation of their enemies. Your progeny had held it once, the moment you do not have the will to kill, you can no longer hold it. That’s the curse of that particular sword. But the flaming sword is different. The blood used on the ritual will allow a spiritual fire to burn for as long as the owner of that blood has his requiem going. The moment the fire extinguishes, it means the donor died.”</p><p>Daroll pondered those words recalling what Adrian had told him about the sword. His previous owner had been Adrian’s sire. Could it be that he had been the donor of that particular sword?</p><p>“That’s right,” The Artisan answered Daroll’s unspoken question. “Adrian had always been a formidable kindred, a worthy one as well. But long before he had been embraced, his sire had been a tracker under my orders. I have crafted him both a bloody sword and a flaming sword, Adrian had always longed to be allowed to possess those mythical items, but his sire had never allowed. Both swords had been hidden, Adrian found the Flaming Sword but the longer he used the blade the longer he felt no kindred or supernatural creature could win against him. His sire no longer had the will to continue his requiem, so Adrian killed him. Little did he know that his most precious weapon would die along with him. The spiritual flame is meant for the loyal, not for the disloyal.” The artisan revealed reaching the sword for Daroll to hold the hilt. “Adrian thinks that the sword is connected to the owner. But it’s not exactly like that. With you being the donor, only your progeny would be able to use the sword to its fullest.”</p><p>Daroll eyed the item with a dull stare. Those words sounded as if that flaming sword would eventually belong to Chungyeol and Daroll enjoyed the prospect. The artisan smirked to himself as the younger kindred took the sword. “Just cut your arm and let the blade be completely stained in your blood.”</p><p>There was just a little of hesitation before Daroll used the blade on himself. Different from wounds caused by normal swords the cut left his arm numb as if he had been cast on fire. It was a sensation barely similar to those days when he would still burn when under the sun or by a normal torch. He hissed in pain and the Artisan quickly took hold of the weapon and then placed the blade under the dripping blood.</p><p>Minutes passed and Daroll felt himself getting weaker and thirstier, the Artisan finally called to Sahyoun and the female vampire brought closer to them an unconscious human. Daroll could not really think as he left the Artisan and attacked the human, emptying the body from its vitae, but even with his thirst partially sated he felt drowsy, just like the day Chungyeol had drank his blood to a critical condition. He still tried to keep himself awake but two steps back to the Artisan he fell asleep.</p><p>Sahyoun was the one that helped him back to the bed where Hazel had been waiting for her companion. The human demanded to know what had happened but the vampire said nothing. Chungyeol had arrived at the grotto for his first visit a few hours after that. Hazel demanded to know what had been done to Daroll and the question just left the younger vampire fuming, first because Daroll could have spent another two weeks without sleeping and second he only slept in his presence which meant he had been forced in that state.</p><p>He had just gone demand the Artisan to tell him what had happened when Sahyoun stepped in his way casting an illusion on him and having the vampire to leave as if nothing wrong had ever happened. Daroll woke up two days later, Hazel being delighted at having him holding her, kissing her senseless both in human and vampiric senses.</p><p>The next time he had been called to the Artisan’s presence the Antediluvian gave him the finished flaming sword. “The scabbard is the only object that won’t be consumed by the fire, whatever else you use the blade against will burn to ashes.” He said solemnly making a hand movement as invitation for the vampire to take the sword out of its scabbard. Daroll took a firm hold of the sword hilt and slowly unclasped it.</p><p>The moment the blade entered in contact with the air it blazed in the same blue-ish fire that was illuminating the grotto. The Artisan pointed at some wood planks and Daroll used the sword against them. The wood instantly was set on fire and it extinguished itself leaving only some ashes behind. “Chungyeol will love this.” He mumbled to himself not being able to see that the Artisan nodded with a wide smile under his hood.</p><p>“As for the second weapon, yesterday Chungyeol came by while you were asleep and I sent him on a small mission to find me some onyxes. But I need some more platinum and a metal that can only be found in the Soul’s Helm. I need you to get it for me,” Daroll looked in disbelief at the Artisan. He wanted to protest and say he hadn’t mastered the Necromancy to that extent but yet again the artisan had cut his speech. “I know you can’t open the gates and go with your whole body there. But you have some loyal souls that can sustain your soul to perform the travel, and they can help you bring the metal here.”</p><p>Daroll growled to himself. He had done that travel three times so obviously the Artisan would know about it. “How long would it take for the second sword to be ready?” he asked profusely disliking the Artisan’s monologues.</p><p>“Around two months. Different from the flaming sword I’ll have to craft from raw metal,” The Artisan replied showing his back to Daroll who had already opened his mouth to speak again when the artisan continued. “Sahyoun will take the human girl back to her city after you bring me the metal, she won’t remember a thing about the days she spent here, as those that know her won’t ever notice she had been missing. You can go stay with your progeny and his blood doll as you wait for the second weapon.”</p><p>Daroll sighed in resignation as Sahyoun gave him a piece of chalk so he could draw the spell. The kindred meticulously wrote down on the floor the runes and once he was done he took a seat in the middle of the circle and recited the spell. Three ethereal beings appeared and took Daroll’s soul to the Undisia, the soul’s helm. The ethereal journey had been more difficult than the previous times, finding the metal had not been hard, the black chunk though was heavy for his soul to carry back and it did not help he had to travel three times to gather the amount needed for the crafting.</p><p>One travel consumed too much energy and he had to rest for three days before being able to perform the second ritual and just like that another week and a half passed. Daroll breathed a sigh of relief when his job was done, yet it meant his time with Hazel had also ended. The next day Chungyeol came to visit and also handed the amount of polished onyxes the artisan had asked of him, Sahyoun took Hazel back to her original life.</p><p>“Be back in two months. But be back alone.” The artisan ordered before Daroll left the grotto along with Chungyeol and Jia.</p><p>The three of them decided to remain close by in a different city than Elena’s, they didn’t want to go back and end up looking for the two humans they wanted to see. The two months passed without any great happenings and in truth Chungyeol felt happy when the prospect of going back home made itself truer.</p><p>At the meeting day Jia and Chungyeol accompanied Daroll back to the Scorpion Mount but did not enter with him. The sire found his way back to the Artisan alone and was greeted by Sahyoun at the hidden entrance. This time though she walked behind him.</p><p>“Welcome back, worthy one,” The artisan greeted with a mocking tone. “Here is your mythical weapon.” The marble white hands of the antediluvian presented a black cane to Daroll, the apparently inoffensive object had a necromancy spell decorating the black surface and was made in pure platinum, there was an onyx stone shaped in a diamond form at the base where it would hit the floor and other three decorating the upper part meant for his hand.</p><p>“A <em>cane?” </em>Daroll asked in disbelief but the moment he took hold of the object he felt the surge of power. “Do not underestimate my work,” The artisan mused. “Speak after me. Aesur, Airith.”</p><p>Daroll frowned at the Artisan because Aesur was the name of one of the souls that had always served him, he could say the most loyal of them all. He glanced at Sahyoun and then back at his cane. He held it in the middle at a clean space that had obviously been there so the cane could be held. “Aesur, Airith.” The moment those words left his mouth the upper part of the cane glowed and an ethereal scythe blade appeared, apparently made of the same energy that composed the souls. The lower part also gained a thin blade with the stabbing purpose. Daroll looked at the scythe completely awestruck.</p><p>“That, my boy, is a Soul Eater blade. Your loyal spirit Aesur had been imprisoned in that cane and will fight for you whenever you call it forth. Whoever this blade cuts won’t see blood coming out, but will have its soul consumed to strength Aesur himself. Only you and your progeny would be able to use it for as long as Aesur remains loyal to you.” The artisan spoke. Of course his mythical weapons had a way of ‘breaking’ but Daroll doubted Aesur would ever betray him or his progeny, because it was his unborn child, the son who’s only wish was to stay beside his parents in his father’s requiem.</p><p>“I know you’ll make good use of it. Alexis Lionheart.” The Artisan spoke with a sense of pride this time around as he had agreed with the plan that quickly formed in the younger’s mind. Daroll looked over at the Artisan who had finally taken the hood off. The younger vampire was shocked as he saw a familiar face. That man had been a constant visitor at Domenic’s palace. That man was known as the progenitor of the most powerful Dragons and one of the best. The one who had secretly guided him through the dragon scrolls. The blacksmith Domenic always bought swords from. A man he only knew as Adrant.</p><p>“Why?” Daroll breathed realizing that he could finally remember his real name, realizing he hadn’t recognized the other’s smell nor the voice.</p><p>“There are questions you should not know the answer to, just know that your destiny is fascinating and I won’t let you die that easily. You are one of the worthy after all. Speak after me: Aesur, Assara.”</p><p>Daroll repeated the command and the scythe went back to being a harmless cane. He bowed to the Artisan, the Nameless, indeed as Chungyeol had called him. Sahyoun guided him outside and bid him a ‘see you’ that strangely made him feel secure. Daroll went back to Chungyeol and Jia who were starting to get worried. Before going back to Prince Farsah, Daroll showed the two his new weapon and strictly ordered the two of them to never speak about it, because that scythe was to be used only when extremely necessary. He didn’t want other kindred longing after it, especially Adrian. They agreed to tell their Prince that the Artisan had agreed to craft for them but only one weapon and that was the Flaming Sword they were taking back.</p><p>With the story set they went back to Elena’s city, to bid their last goodbye to the human girl. Overall it took around three months for the two vampires and the blood doll to get back at Elena’s city. The new king seemed to fear immensely to have the same fate of the previous king so the citizens were leading a much better life. The city was now filled with music and cheerful sounds. It pleased Daroll to see their fight had had a good result.</p><p>The first thing they did was once again visit Prince Farsah at his mansion, assuring this time they wouldn’t mess up with the human hierarchy. Once they were settled and had rested enough from the three days of endless running and almost no food, Jia dragged his favorite vampires to go shopping. He needed to make them an outfit to remember their adventures at that land.</p><p>While they were at it both Daroll and Jia had noticed how Chungyeol kept looking in different directions. Whenever a breeze would hit them his line of vision would wander, they were sure he was searching for her scent. “Dad, go look for mommy,” Jia rolled his eyes as Chungyeol gaped at him and Daroll chuckled. “Grandpa is paying anyway, just go.” Jia tried to shoo Chungyeol while Daroll rolled his eyes this time around.</p><p>“She had asked you to stay. Is it so hard to ask her to come with us?” Daroll asked softly.</p><p>“Prince Adrian wouldn’t mind if we stayed around for a little while I guess. We already have the sword anyway.” Jia tried to reason but Daroll looked reprimanding at him. “What? One or two years is a while for a vampire.”</p><p>“Jia, go buy whatever you want to buy,” Chungyeol shooed his son who practically skipped to the next merchant. “Would it be ok, Dal?” the younger vampire asked almost in a whisper. Daroll smiled and nodded. “If you’ve found in her a companion then she’s welcome into our requiem.” Chungyeol felt something cold in Daroll’s words but decided it was probably because he couldn’t take Hazel with him, they would have to wait for a next chance.</p><p>With slight reluctance Chungyeol left his master behind with Jia to really search for Elena’s scent, wondering what happened to her in those three months. He finally caught the faintest hint of her scent in a more downtown part of the city, a neighborhood that didn’t seem appropriate for someone who just months ago had been the leader of the rebels that had won the war against their king.</p><p>The scent brought him to a house that was as tiny as it was old, the roof looking like it could collapse any minute and the general atmosphere coming off as rather gloomy and unhealthy, as if the owner of the place was sick - if not dead. At the sight he frowned wondering if she was alright or if her father managed to survive the wounds from the torture he suffered. He banged at the door almost angrily.</p><p>Even though it didn’t open immediately, there were sounds coming from inside and after a long, agonizing minute the door opened to reveal Elena’s familiar face. She didn’t look sick at all, her cheeks having a healthy blush and her general look that of a well-fed young woman of her age. But her eyes had changed. There was no longer the same fighting spirit in them. They were empty and even though she was just looking at him her expression was still showing traces of grief.</p><p>For a few moments long she looked at him but then a frown appeared on her face and she opened the door a little wider, as if giving herself a better opportunity to look at him. “What do you want?” she eventually asked then, her voice cold and her whole stance unreceptive. “I told them that if Bjorg needs me he should wait until I come by. The orders were clear, I’m not to be disturbed at home.”</p><p>Chungyeol looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “I feel pity for the guy, how do you say that name again?” he asked with a tone a little bit too sarcastic. He was not expecting her to jump on him and kiss him senseless but that was not a welcome he was expecting either. “I just wanted to pay you a visit but I guess I am really not welcome so I might as well just leave.” he added crossing his arms in front of his chest.</p><p>His words obviously surprised the young woman and she frowned even more as she gazed at him. There had not been anyone speaking to her in such a manner ever since the rebellion had won the war and the king had been beheaded. Narrowing her eyes to slits, she glared at the man in front of her for a moment before shrugging lightly, seemingly disregarding whatever had been going through her head.</p><p>“His name is Bjorg and you shouldn’t pity him, he has plenty of money to come around and plenty of body mass to show for that too.” she replied to him, a bit of her usual demeanor sneaking into her again at those words. “But you strike me as familiar, sir, have we met before?” Her eyes went over his whole body then, going from his face to his feet and back up, a hint of recognition in the smile she sent him then. “Ah, did you fight in the war, perhaps?”</p><p>“Fight in the war? Elena. Stop this stupid joke.” He said letting his arms fall back to his side and closing his hands in tight fist, he was getting impatient and resented with the human. “Who do you think won the war for you?”</p><p>For a moment she seemed stunned again but then she glanced back inside the house as if the answer was there. When she looked at him again, the smile had disappeared. “My father told me it was a man by the name of Kim Chungyeol who helped us all. He said it was a really powerful man who freed the prisoners and beheaded the king.” For a moment she seemed to stare past him before her eyes fixed on his face, a sudden realization seemingly hitting her. “Are you perhaps this man, sir?”</p><p>Chungyeol frowned at her. “Elena, you really don’t remember me?” he asked, his tone becoming soft and worried, he reached for her waist and pulled her flush against him, causing her to squeak lightly in surprise. “What happened to you?” he whispered urgently by her ear needing to understand what happened.</p><p>There was not an immediate answer, as the young woman seemed caught up in something else with her mind, her hand going over the fabric of his coat as she let her chin rest on his shoulder, breathing in his scent that seemed to have a sweet hint to it. But at the same time it felt like her mind was playing tricks on her because at a second inhale that hint of sweetness was gone and all that remained was just a random stranger’s scent.</p><p>“You didn’t stay,” she finally spoke, her voice softer than before as her hand stilled on his upper arm, the other one hanging limply to her side. “Father told me that I had asked you to stay but you left and that you had said you would pass by on your way home. He waited for you to come, he really tried but he couldn’t hold out,” Tears started to gather in her eyes, wetting her lashes but not rolling down her cheeks. “He asked me to say thank you if you would come by after all. Thank you for saving him, but mostly for keeping me safe and ending the war.”</p><p>Her voice cracked as she spoke those last words, the recent loss still fresh in her emotions, making it hard for her to keep up the cold and annoyed facade for long. None of the other people that had come knocking on her door in the past two weeks had ever stayed longer than it took for her to tell them to leave so no one had seen the hurt she was still feeling over the death of her dear father, the only person she had left in this life, the one she had been fighting the war for.</p><p>The words had cast a heavy burden on Chungyeol’s shoulders. “I’m sorry.” He said. It felt slightly familiar to that night he had first met Jia. Once again he had been unable to save the life he needed to save the most. “Maybe if I had saved him first. I’m sorry, Elena.” He really wanted to cry at that moment but vampires have no tears to shed.</p><p>Despite her own sorrow, Elena apparently felt his because she lifted her head and moved away a little to look at him, a small smile on her face that was supposed to be comforting. “It’s not your fault,” she told him warmly, gently cupping his cheek with the hand that had rested on his upper arm before. “Father was old and ill already before the war started. He knew he didn’t have very long left to live but he led the rebels to war regardless because he didn’t want to leave me in such a horrible world,” Her smile faltered as she remembered her father telling her those things himself days before he died. “It wasn’t the days he spent in the dungeons that made the difference, he would’ve gone soon anyway.”</p><p>Stroking over Chungyeol’s cheek gently with her thumb, she let her eyes wander over his face. “It’s not your fault,” she repeated then, as if trying to convince herself of the fact that it wasn’t her fault either. “He lived a good, long life and it was his time to go,” All words her father had told her as well. She should probably be grateful to have had the chance to say goodbye to him before he died and not to have lost him during the war. At least he had been able to hear about the effects of their rebellion on the country before he had left this world.</p><p>Letting go of the stranger’s face, she started to take a step back in order to bring some distance between them again. “Would you like some tea?” she asked softly then. “I couldn’t let you leave again just like that.”</p><p>He opened his mouth to reply but then closed again. He sighed and then asked with sorrow. “You really don’t remember anything about me?”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she apologized, a clear enough answer but she elaborated this time. “About two weeks after you left I apparently got into some sort of accident. They found me in a collapsed house beneath the wreckage. It was a miracle that I was still alive but I didn’t even have a scratch. The only problem was that I couldn’t remember anything of the past two and a half weeks, up until the last battle I fought in,” She lifted a hand to gently touch the back of her head. “I don’t know what happened and no one else did either. I’m really sorry.”</p><p>Chungyeol pulled her into another embrace, a tighter one at that. “It was no miracle. We both must thank Jia actually. Let’s get inside, I have a deal to offer with you.” he spoke softly still. Somehow both him and Jia had indirectly saved her life.</p><p>“Jia?” she repeated questioningly, this time having gently draped her arms around his middle as well. Her mind worked overtime to remember where she knew the name from but it couldn’t find anything concrete. “I used to know Jia too, didn’t I? He has that same familiar ring like the name Daroll does.” For a moment she froze in her spot but then she pulled away. “How do I know that name?” she asked in confusion, but it was a question to herself as she turned to walk inside of the tiny house, leaving the door open so Chungyeol could follow her in.</p><p>Walking up to the fireplace herself, she put a small bowl of water above the fire in order to let it boil so she could make them some tea. He hadn’t quite accepted the offer but tea was never a bad idea in her opinion. “So you wanted to make a deal with me? About what?” she asked then, looking up at him again once the water was all ready to boil.</p><p>“You had indeed asked me to stay. Now I want to ask you to come with me. If you accept to leave this place behind I’ll tell you what your father didn’t know about me, or Jia. I’ll tell you why you know the name ‘Daroll’.” it was not a fair deal, but more than anything he wanted her to accept. He wanted to protect her.</p><p>It seemed like Elena regained her familiar composure at his words and for a while the grief fell away from her expression as she straightened up in front of the fireplace and looked at him with a defiant look in her eyes. “How about you tell me these things first and then I’ll tell you if I want to go with you or not? For all I know you can be one of those brutes that kidnap young women and sell them as slaves in far away countries. There’s no way I’m going to promise to go with you without knowing who exactly I’ll be going with.”</p><p>She was the one to cross her arms in front of her chest now, her resolution clear as day. If there was any way she was going to leave with him it was not going to be before he had explained everything to her. “Father told me there was more to you than he thought, apparently I had dropped something like that before the accident, so I must have known it back then. If that is the case I feel entitled to know it again without any deal made about it.”</p><p>“I am not a brute. I am as beautiful and delicate as a flower - with thorns but still a flower,” Chungyeol grinned at her, something she said sounding very promising despite the possibility of her refusing him. Using his inhuman speed he pulled her away from the hateful fire and pressed her against his body. “Elena you should know I am not human. I can feel your heart beating but does my heart beat in sync with yours?” he asked softly, his mouth over her ears once again.</p><p>The young woman took a moment or two to consider his words and focus on feeling his heartbeat, only to end up feeling nothing at all. Not even the slightest hint of a heart working to pump his blood through his veins. She slightly pulled away then and turned her face to him, their noses only inches apart. Her eyes seemed to search his as she looked at him for a few long moments but then she suddenly frowned again.</p><p>“Bloodsucker,” she spoke as if remembering something with a lot of difficulty, hesitating a moment long and then correcting herself with the more appropriate “Vampire. I killed one of your kind, didn’t I? We burned his head in the sun. But then how do you walk around when the sun is out?” This question was one she couldn’t answer herself and for a moment she reconsidered her theory, even though everything inside of her told her she was right.</p><p>“It’s in my blood. I have high resistance against the sun,” Chungyeol chuckled lightly delighted that she was remembering. “Can you remember why you didn’t die after fighting a vampire?” he questioned his hand on her back drawing circles on her lower back.</p><p>Once again Elena thought about his question and it seemed that actually provoking her mind with the right words used helped because in a flash of an image she remembered something more. “Jia stabbed a dagger in his side and he got distracted so I cut off his arm and then his head,” she explained as if talking about an everyday subject. Yet when she looked at him she suddenly seemed to realize how close they were and in a sudden fear she pulled away from his grip, a dagger appearing in her hand. Even in these times of peace she still kept her weapons close by.</p><p>“How do I trust you if you’re a bloodsucker?” she asked, voice having gone colder again, her eyes narrowed at him once again. “For all I know I’m your next prey and you want me to go away with you?” The last words had her tone changing to a more mocking tone, laughing at the fact that he still thought it was ever going to happen now.</p><p>Something seemed to shatter in him. “If I just wanted you as food would I be telling you this? Would I have saved your father and the other imprisoned rebels? It was not just because Jia had distracted the vampire you were fighting with. There’s something else you need to remember. It’s the reason why you didn’t die before your father did, in that accident two weeks after I left,” he looked at her for a moment and then sighed. “How do you kill a vampire, Elena?” he asked then, his tone slightly pleading.</p><p>“You cut off their head,” she instantly replied and she obviously surprised herself with the quick reply. Yet she didn’t let it phase her. “Why? Are you offering to let me kill you?” Her eyes went to his face again but she didn’t seem actually aggressive, only suspicious of what he was trying to get at.</p><p>“Am not. You’re not going to kill me. You don’t have the strength nor the agility to do such a thing. You are not like Jia anymore,” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Most of all, you wouldn’t kill someone that had risked their neck for you,” he challenged giving her a small smirk. “Would you really betray someone that trusts you?”</p><p>“What does having someone’s trust mean when you don’t trust them?” she replied coolly, putting one hand in her side, but tucking the knife away again with the other. “Why did you help us win the war? You’re not from around here, it wasn’t your fight nor people you knew that you saved. Why did you save my father when I asked you to?”</p><p>Once again Elena was baffled by her own words and it showed on her expression that she could not understand how she knew these things. Turning her gaze away from him for a moment she wrecked through her memories in order to remember more, to find out what it was that her own mind was still keeping from her. But what she found was not what she had been searching for.</p><p>Huffing lightly at herself, she shook her head once, disregarding the thought that had just struck her and focusing her gaze on Chungyeol again then. “Why do you want me to go with you?” It was a new question this time, unrelated to the past events she had forgotten about but one that currently probably was a more useful one to ask.</p><p>“Because I want you,” Chungyeol seemed to want to say more but refrained. “You made me remember what I gave up my life for,” He looked at his hand then. “What I gave up my beating heart for.”</p><p>“You want me how?” she replied, following his gaze to his hand and then lifting it back to his head, wanting to see him as he answered that question. Just like he had done before, she seemed to want to ask more but refrained herself from doing so, instead waiting to hear his answer first.</p><p>“I want you so I can keep in mind I had been human once upon a time. I want you beside me so I can feel I still have something human in me,” He looked back at her closing his hand and taking in a deep breathe. “I like your scent better when it’s mingled with mine.”</p><p>The words were strange yet somehow she could understand what he was telling her, or at least she thought she did. But it didn’t matter that much either. With her father dead there wasn’t much keeping her to this city anymore. The men that had fought with her lived a good life now and Bjorg, although fat and lazy most of the time, was a good leader if they ever needed one again. So after a short silence she spoke again.</p><p>“What do I get out of this? What kind of life will you give me if I go with you?” Her voice was calm, business-like, but something more lingered beneath her seemingly uncaring exterior.</p><p>Chungyeol thought for a moment before listing. “Fancy clothes, jewelry, money, the most delicious food,” he had a dramatic pause as if he was trying to remember something else. “You’ll live for as long as I live, access to almost all my swords, and countless chances to kill more vampires,” Somehow the second part of the deal sounded much better to him and apparently Elena felt the same way because where her expression had not changed at first, the last part of his sentence had her showing a slight grin.</p><p>“What about Jia, is he going to be there too?” she inquired after a moment, leaving a short pause as well before adding in an almost daring manner: “Or are you going to replace him with me, because if that’s the case I don’t want any of this.”</p><p>Chungyeol smiled a very loving smile. “I could never replace him. I owe him too much. You two are the only humans I’ve ever felt attached to,” Suddenly he chuckled. “My son wants a mother actually, and he is not the only one wanting you in the role.”</p><p>“Well as long as you know that I’m not going to be the one getting up in the middle of the night to feed him.” Elena replied with a slight chuckle in her voice, letting her hand fall away from her side as she walked over to the fireplace again to take the now boiling water from it so she could make herself some tea. “And now please do explain to me how I survived that accident back then.”</p><p>“Will I get something to drink in return?” he asked with a wide grin. “I’ve told you. Back then you were the same as Jia. Do you remember what Jia actually is?”</p><p>“You can get some tea, yes.” she hummed, hiding her grin from him since she knew what he was actually asking for. His second question, however, triggered an answer that she didn’t think about and before she even fully realized it she had already replied with the simple words: “Half-vampire.” Once again she stilled in her movements upon realizing that she had known this and shook her head as if to clear it.</p><p>“Why do I keep remembering things when I don’t even try yet when I want to remember something nothing comes ba- Have mercy on me, Lord. I drank your blood!” At that realization the bowl of boiling water slipped through her fingers, landed on the table with a thud and spilled some of its contents over the table’s surface, luckily none of it getting on her skin or clothes. “Why did I do that? It sounds disgusting.” she added, turning to look at Chungyeol again, eyes lightly widened.</p><p>“I resent that statement. Jia was plenty used with that after ten years. You were attacked by a vampire, Elena, I saved you and took you to the place I had hidden Jia. But after I left to end the war, a vampire still found you. Jia wouldn’t be able to protect you so he did what he thought was the best option.” He started to explain hoping she would remember it too.</p><p>“He gave me your blood and we ran away,” Elena agreed, nodding to this as she remembered now too. “But then he passed me a sword and I saw no point in running if I was fast and strong too so I turned around and we killed it,” Her gaze seemed to look way beyond him at that point and lifting her hand lightly she motioned over to him. “We went back to the place you left us but there was another vampire on our path. Only this one wasn’t evil, he was apparently someone you had been looking for because Jia got all excited. He left, though, so we went back to the cabaret in order for me to be with my father and-” Another pause as Elena’s eyes focused on Chungyeol again, anger seeping into her expression. “You fed from my father!?”</p><p>“He didn’t die because of it.” Chungyeol sighed, that was a memory that she could have forgotten forever, because the resentment she felt for that was what had made him walk away the first time.</p><p>“No, he didn’t,” she agreed and her voice became softer again as well. “He said he had a nice dream about the times when my mother was still alive and we lived peacefully together on our farm,” The words brought a small smile to her face. “We talked about her sometimes but as time passed we both started to forget what she looked like or smelled like. I’m glad he got to see her again before he died.”</p><p>Turning back to the table, she picked up the bowl again and poured it into her teapot, adding some tea leaves and letting it stand there then to go get a cup to drink out of. “Tea?” she inquired from Chungyeol once again, despite all the new information she had gotten so far proving that he probably wouldn’t accept it.</p><p>And indeed Chungyeol shook his head. “I don’t eat human food anymore. I still can’t master that Magical Tier.” he explained. “In the future you should ask me again.”</p><p>“I will.” she agreed with another nod, putting two cups on the table regardless and pouring tea in both once the tea was ready. Taking a seat on one of the wooden seats then, she picked up her own cup and took a small sip, not a word or a glance explaining the reasons she had for putting the second cup there.</p><p>Chungyeol walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Do you want to see them again?” he questioned softly. “Whenever I drink Jia’s blood I show him his parents, and let him feel the happiness that was stolen from him.”</p><p>Elena smiled lightly as she took another sip from her tea, lifting her free hand and gently taking hold of one of his. “I’d rather not,” she replied softly. “It’s too early now, it’ll only hurt more. When I’m ready to see them again I’ll ask you. For now I would like it if you just sat with me. It’s been a while since I wasn’t alone.”</p><p>“Then I’ll make you think of nothing else but me,” he replied with a playful tone taking back a seat and looking at her with a soft happy expression. “Two vampires and two humans. Our coven is really unusual,” he said taking the cup of tea and smelling it. “I think I’ve always hated tea when I was human.” He wrinkled his nose at the smell.</p><p>With a small chuckle, Elena reached out and took the cup from him, putting it back down on the table. “I like it a lot, though, and if our son doesn’t then he’ll have to learn how to drink it in the future. He can start with that one if he makes it in time before it’s cold,” she replied with an amused smile. “No matter if he’s two hundred years older than me.”</p><p>Chungyeol chuckled “Oh he likes tea. But I’m afraid he won’t show up. He is busy torturing Daroll right now.” His grin turned impossibly bright at the mental image he was picturing.</p><p>“Daroll is back too?” Elena asked, turning to look at him again and chuckling once again when she saw his bright grin. “Does it amuse you so much that he suffers?”</p><p>“He takes this particular torture gratefully. Actually, Daroll is the vampire that turned me into one, he is my master.” he explained with a tone filled with respect and somewhat admiration.</p><p>“So you do have someone above you?” There was actual surprise in Elena’s voice. “It seemed to me like you were your own man. Except for Jia that is, but he’s just too adorable to tell you what to do.”</p><p>“Let’s see. There’s a vampire in this city called Farsah, he is like a vampire king and right now I’m supposed to be under his orders, but I actually don’t give a damn about him. Back where I live the Vampire king - well we actually call them Vampire Princes - is a guy called Adrian, I’m on a mission for him right now, I respect him but between him and Daroll I choose to obey my master. Jia is technically a slave and you’ll be in the same status by coming with me, where I am the master. I refuse to treat him as such though, he is my adopted son and you will be my wife.” Chungyeol rambled wanting her to understand all about them.</p><p>“Wait, hold on a second.” Elena immediately exclaimed, putting her cup of tea down on the table again. “Wife? Don’t you think you should get my agreement before putting me in that position?”</p><p>He shut his mouth and looked at her before sighing and making a hand sigh as if that was nothing. “Details,” he mumbled. “I definitely don’t want you as a night entertainment, nor as just an ally. I want you as my companion for the rest of my afterlife, or how we call it, my requiem.” He added with a serious tone.</p><p>“Details!?” Elena immediately exclaimed, turning to him more fully with an expression that showed how much she agreed with those words, which was not at all. “Listen here, you long-teethed lover of blood, if you want to live with me you’re going to have to stop thinking you can just get everything you want. I’m going with you but you’re not touching a hair on my head for the first few weeks at least. And that includes that crazy amount of grabbing at me you do!”</p><p>“It’s not called grabbing, miss. It’s called hugging,” He gave her a smile then. “I get what I want one way or another. But one thing you’ll have to do sooner or later, and that is drink my blood, because the path it too dangerous for normal humans.” he warned then, the smile still there but his tone changed from playful to serious along the line.</p><p>“In your case it’s called grabbing. Hugging is what you do gently without hurting others. You’re a little rough on the edges,” Elena contradicted him once again, but her tone had softened down. “At least get permission before doing it,” Falling silent, she looked at him with a pensive expression on her face, trying to gauge whether she wanted to put herself through the horror of drinking his blood. In the end she sighed.</p><p>“And fine, I’ll drink your blood if I have to, as long as you give it to me in a bottle again and I don’t have to see how it got in that bottle,” she agreed then. “The idea of actually drinking your blood is still disgusting,” With those words she turned back to the table, picking up her cup of tea again and emptying it in one go. “So where DO you live actually? How far away from here are you taking me?”</p><p>Chungyeol smirked at her. “Far, far east of here. Have you heard of the Country of Socheon? Maybe you’ll like it. But then again I may come and go to other places depending on what Adrian wants. Pack whatever you like to take with you. When we arrive there, Jia will probably get you shopping before he would be able to make you something himself.” With that the conversation pretty much ended as Elena packed a small backpack with clothes and some mementoes to remind her of her parents and left with Chungyeol.</p><p>The vampire took her back to the small palace he had been living with Daroll and Jia as they were still organizing themselves for the way back. If Elena had been surprised with their hideout she had not shown it as the only comment she gave him when questioned if she liked their temporary house was something to the lines of his ego needing all that room to reside in. For the following days she had never really mentioned anything about the rebels anymore and Chungyeol didn’t question.</p><p>On the day of their departure back to Adrian, Chungyeol entered Elena’s room after a polite knock on the door and handed the human a small bottle. "I offer you my everything. Would you accept it?" he asked in a teasing voice.</p><p>She looked at it in surprise for a moment before a slight hint of disgust showed on her expression again. "I liked it better when Jia gave it to me last time and I had no clue what it was yet," she stated then, her voice expressing her dislike for what she knew he was expecting from her. "Is this really necessary?"</p><p>"If you want a vampire to kill you on the way then refuse," Hi stone became serious then, a hint of sadness as he expected her to accept just as easily as Jia had, but then again humans are different from each other. Jia had lived longer with him before they made the deal. Elena barely remembered the few days he spent helping her. "Maybe if you drink it all your memories will be fully back."</p><p>Even though his last words were supposed to be encouraging she only made an even less agreeing face as she looked up at him. "Who says I want that?" she countered but there lay a hint of amusement behind her eyes that showed she wasn't actually being serious. "Will this one last two weeks again as well?"</p><p>"Three in the most. And then you'll have to drink it again until we get back at my place. Once there you can decide if you want to get old and die or remain young for as long as I am walking on this earth," he said still offering her the bottle.</p><p>She eyed it for a moment with a small frown. Taking it out of his hand in the end, she lifted it to the light and stared at its contents for a while. "Are there any other side-effects to this? Will I lose my memory again at the end?" she asked then, distrust seeping through in her voice again. Even though she didn't think he'd feed her something poisonous willingly, there was always the possibility that he wasn't certain of its side-effects.</p><p>"You will forget again." He said with a serious voice, yet once again sad. There was a caring smile on his lips but his eyes were unfocussed as if he was lost in his own memories. "Once you drink it you'll become a half vampire, once it runs out your body will go back to the way it was when you started drinking and you'll age in seconds the time you spent drinking the blood." he replied softly, some sense of pain in his tone then.</p><p>"So every time I drink this I will end up forgetting everything that happened during the time it was in my system?" she asked almost disbelieving, her voice raising an octave in her surprise.</p><p>He thought for a while, then shook his head. "No. That you'll remember. You'll forget what you remembered by drinking it."</p><p>"Oh.." Despite the supposed reassurance she still stared at it for a while longer before finally opening the bottle, only to look up at him again then. "I'd rather not do this," she admitted then. "Is there no other way?"</p><p>"Not that I know about," He sighed getting the bottle back, closing and pocketing it right after. "Let's get going then. For safety you'll ride a horse with Jia. I don't think you'd ride with me. Or you can go in the carriage with the baggage." He shrugged then, turning around to lead her outside.</p><p>Finding herself suddenly without any bottle in hand whatsoever and Chungyeol walking away from her, Elena stiffened for a moment in surprise before taking two steps to reach him and putting her hand on his lower arm, as if trying to hold him back, but she didn't take hold of him, knowing that she wouldn't have an actual chance of stopping him if he didn't want to anyway. "I'm sorry." she spoke in genuine apology as she let her arm drop by her side again.</p><p>He stopped at her touch and glanced at her. "I told you I'm not going to do what you don't want to." he said softly but then started to walk out again. Once he got to the door he pulled down the hood of his black cloak. "Are you coming or not?"</p><p>She watched him walking off in silence, but at his words she seemed to take a decision and sighed lightly. "Pass me the bottle." she hummed then, somehow resigned to what she was going to do. He stilled by the door and then reached for the bottle. He let it rest over his palm, reaching it up for her but not getting closer.</p><p>She walked over to him, taking the bottle from his palm and opening it once again. For a moment she hesitated but then she poured the contents into her mouth. A swallow, a thoroughly disgusted expression and a slight noise to voice that disgust later, she had done what she had dreaded to do. The vague memory of the first time had made her dislike to do it again bigger this time, especially since she wasn't in immediate danger now.</p><p>But the worry she knew Chungyeol would feel for her if she didn't drink it and the realization that there could indeed be enemy vampires on their path had convinced her to drink it anyway, although it wasn't with full approval. "Ugh, couldn't you make it taste better at least?" she pouted then as she looked up at Chungyeol again, reaching out the empty bottle now.</p><p>Chungyeol smiled down at her and took the bottle back. "Jia said it tastes better when he drinks directly from me," He tilted his head to the left and then grinned deciding to do a test. "Give me a kiss on the cheek." he ordered pulling his hood away again with a somewhat playful voice.</p><p>"Why would I..?" Elena started but as she was still talking her lips already landed on his cheek, only for her hand to replace it moments later, her new strength making her able to actually slap his face to the side. The next moment she had already kicked his leg as well, her expression enraged.</p><p>Despite the blows Chungyeol was laughing. "I make mine Daroll's words. 'We Kindred have our ways of controlling humans, one of those is making a deal with the human. We offer our blood so the human would become a half-vampire, but in return the human gives up his will and becomes a powerless slave, if I would order you to fight against a whole army of vampires alone you would obey without a doubt. That’s the deal you’ve accepted.' Now I'll order you the same I had ordered Jia after he first drank my blood. Whatever I order you to do, you will obey only if you agree," he finished his speech and turned around opening the door. "Now are you coming or not?"</p><p>But what he got as a reply was not the yes or no that could be expected in reply to such a question, instead it was an icy silence as there was no one left in the house anymore. Elena had almost instantly remembered the events of the weeks she had forgotten into detail and when one of those memories sparked her, she had actually just jumped through the window to get out of the house as fast as possible, her legs leading her through the city with a speed that was not matched by any human.</p><p>Immensely confused as to why she had left just like that Chungyeol ran after her, following the scent of her blood mixed with his. In no time they reached one of the more fancy houses of the city and without even caring about the door or anything else, Elena burst through it - making it jump out of its sockets and fall down behind her. She passed by people that hardly saw her move by, only to come to a halt when she had burst through a door that lead her into a library.</p><p>"You," she as good as growled then, her eyes going to the man sitting frozen in his chair, shocked by her sudden appearance. "It was you almost three months ago, wasn't it? You left me in that house to die," Her voice was colder than ever, her feelings going past anger at this point and her expression showed disgust way beyond what she had felt about drinking Chungyeol's blood as she spoke the man's name. "Bjorg. And I thought you could be trusted," A soft, bitter chuckle left her then, disbelief sounding through in it as well as she mocked her own beliefs.</p><p>Chungyeol had sneaked in behind her but other than stop in front of the guy he decided to place himself behind the man narrowing his eyes at the fatso. He had tried to kill Elena? His mind was processing ways of torturing the guy for that. He said nothing though, and even ceased breathing not to alarm the clueless human.</p><p>Elena was basically hissing in anger by the time Chungyeol had taken in his position but still the shocked human couldn't speak. "Come on, be honest, you were trying to take me out, weren't you? Why is that?" she questioned him angrily, and the actual question seemed to startle Bjorg out of his surprise. For a moment he seemed to consider his options but then assumed honesty wouldn't hurt. What could one woman do against him, right?</p><p>"Yes, I did," he spoke calmly, not appearing proud over his actions but not regretful either. "Your father was old and sick, he'd die soon, but you... You were the obstacle I needed to get over to become the leader of the rebels. You didn't die, but it all turned out even more positive for me. You didn't remember anything and your dear father who had suffered so much from the shock of hearing you got into an accident died sooner than expected. You went into solitude and the leadership was mine to take without having to actually kill someone for it," A small smile appeared on his face. "And look at me now, they all worship me, think I'm the best leader ever. Isn't it amazing?"</p><p>It wasn't particularly his smug face near the end but the words about her father that drove Elena over the edge. With a loud cry she threw herself at the man, forgetting all about her superhuman strength but still ready to choke the life out of him.</p><p>"They are blind to worship a bum like you," Chungyeol spoke calmly. "A real leader does not need worship. He needs the ones that trust him to have the best life possible. You are scum, not a God." The vampire held Elena back the best he could since she was stronger than him and blinded by fury. "Elena, he is not worthy of you killing him."</p><p>Upon hearing the new voice the man was once again shocked into a complete silence, unable to grasp how this man had managed to enter without even being seen while his gaze had been on the door from the start. Elena on the other hand struggled only for a moment longer before going limp in Chungyeol's grip. "He may not be worthy of it, but my father is worth it to take revenge for," she spoke calmly, her eyes flashing with the hatred she felt. "I hope you have achieved everything you wanted in life, Bjorg, because there won't be anything else anymore for you." Her words seemingly had no effect on the human, but then he was already frozen in shock staring at the two of them. Trying to pull out of Chungyeol's grip gently, Elena now wanted to go at the human still but in a much more composed way.</p><p>Chungyeol glanced at the guy. "Your father is worthy I agree. I haven’t eaten yet so mind to not kill him? Dead blood taste bad," Chungyeol let go, he fetched the door from the floor and put it back, half closing the doorframe. "I'll make sure nobody gets in." Chungyeol smirked at the man. "You know what? If there's anyone worthy of worshipping that would be the one that killed the king. Don’t you agree?"</p><p>"If you want to feed on alive blood I suggest you feed first, just leave him enough to survive a little longer. I think he'll look great with a crushed lower body. This building would look a lot better collapsed together on this man, wouldn't it?" She didn't look at Chungyeol, but her question was for him, her eyes remaining focused on the by now terrified man. There was nothing left of the young woman he had been familiar with. The one in front of him at that moment had eyes filled with hate and not a spark of mercy left in her.</p><p>"If you give time for the innocent people in here to run I have no objections, just make sure afterwards to indicate a better leader to stay in your place," In no time Chungyeol was in front of the man. "Prepare to suffer," and without a second notice he sank his fangs at the guy’s neck. The man’s eyes became empty and even though he was not screaming the guy was feeling the same torture Chungyeol felt back when he was human. And then Chungyeol granted him a view of the whole house falling on him and the pain of being crushed to death. The vampire drank enough for the man to be very weak but still conscious. Once Chungyeol let go the guy was whimpering in pain, dazed and unsure of what had just happened. "All yours," the vampire said liking his lips. He didn’t have a nice taste though.</p><p>Elena eyed it with a detachment that was very unlike her no matter her mood. She waited patiently for the vampire to finish and then walked over to the human that still hadn't moved from his spot. Taking him by his upper arm, she flung him through the room against his heavy bookshelf that collapsed down over him. The effort it took her was about as much as swatting away a fly but the impact on him was a lot worse.</p><p>Yet as she watched the books and wooden things collapse all over him, something seemed to crack through her emotionlessness and as she turned away she moved to Chungyeol without fully realizing it. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she buried her face against his chest, closing her eyes and trying not to think of the fact that her father was gone forever.</p><p>Chungyeol immediately had her in a secure embrace. He said nothing, just kept holding her. But he needed to do something. "There are people coming to check what the noise was about. I'll release you for a second." he informed but still didn't let go.</p><p>She shook her head lightly. "Don't. Let's go." she muttered softly, tightening her grip on him as if telling him she wouldn't let him go. "I don't care who they take as their leader. If they want to run themselves into damnation it's their choice."</p><p>Chungyeol's lips landed on her cheek for a fraction of seconds before he took her in his arms securely holding her and then jumped out of the window. The action took place at the same time the door was being opened. "This is no leader. Better luck next time," He said making sure his words were engraved on those humans. He didn't take Elena back to his place where Jia and Daroll had been waiting for them, but took her to that hideout he had trusted was hidden enough from other vampires. "Elena. They still need a leader. Why are you choosing to come with me?"</p><p>"I fought here for my father's hopes and dreams for me," she told him with a voice that held no emotion. "But my father is no longer here and my dreams were always bigger than this city or the lead over an army of housemen," She shrugged lightly. "I choose to come with you because you appeal to the side of me that is not and has never been a small-minded farmer girl. I don't particularly care where you take me because I know that you will keep me safe and that from now on my home is at your side."</p><p>"Elena... Let me kiss you." Chungyeol said then, face serious but longing visible in his eyes. She lifted her head at that, looking up at him and leveling their gazes for a while. In the end she allowed him to do what he wanted by leaning in herself and fitting their mouths together. She left the rest to him, however, how far he wanted to take the kiss and how long he wanted it to last. It didn't matter to her. She had known from the first time she had met this man that he would change her life somehow and had been disappointed when he had left without anything big changing. Yet she had also felt sad to know that he was leaving again.</p><p>Now that he was back and she had re-found her memories she knew that it had been more than just expectations and hope for a better life that had her feel that way. However weak it may sound, her heart had belonged to him from that first day onwards even though her mind had fought this knowledge for as long as it had been able to. Now it didn't matter anymore. She had drunk his blood and was leaving with him to wherever he was taking her, why bother trying not to give in to her feelings any longer then?</p><p>He had felt surprised at the offer and then mentally slapped himself for the words he used, he had never told her that a vampire bite was called by them a kiss. But who cares? He had been longing for both kinds of kisses, never mind which one came first. He merely massaged her lips with his, letting it be slow and kind, but then his lips trailed her jaw line, and down her neck. He pondered what he should make her feel and decided not to show her memories father after all. He merely showered her with his own feelings of joy and love.</p><p>For a split second Elena had known what was going to come next and had feared it but then she had simply reminded herself that this was Chungyeol and had relaxed completely in his hold, allowing him to move towards her neck. What came next was almost unimaginable, the way she felt such an utter joy and love, even though part of her was aware it wasn't fully her emotions. With her lips slightly parted she breathed in and out slowly, her eyes having closed only moments into the kiss and not having opened since. With giving in to her feelings she had given in to Chungyeol, allowing him to do with her what he wanted, literally.</p><p>After he was satisfied he licked the wound and then left at the completely healed skin a soft kiss. "Once we're back at my place, you shall provide me some night entertainment," he half ordered as he distanced himself from her, one arm around her waist another caressing her cheek. Elena had become his life and heartbeat.</p><p>After a few more moments alone Chungyeol took her hand and led her back to his sire and his blood doll. Jia had fussed over them, scolding the two to not just leave him behind like that, all worried about them eloping just like that. Daroll had just smiled at the three of them, rejoicing for his progeny’s happiness. He glanced one last time at the direction of the cabaret and then took his seat on the wagon holding the few of their possessions and the safe place where Jia and Elena would be able to sleep at night while on the road.</p><p>The way back took them a few months in which they faced some hard times fighting packs of werewolves, running from hunters and giving Elena some good training on how to survive in her new life of half assured immortality.</p><p>Nevertheless, every time Daroll glanced at the cane hanging on his belt beside his swords, he felt like he would see the Artisan again sooner or later, and it definitely bothered him. But his biggest worry of the moment was how to get Adrian to believe they had been given only the Flaming Sword.</p><p>One of the things Elena learned on the way was how Daroll and Chungyeol discussed over everything from where they would stay to what they would say to that Vampire Prince of them. She couldn’t understand why the cane was so important to be hidden from someone they seemed to trust. But then Jia kindly informed her that despite being known as Adrian’s favorite vampires, Daroll and Chungyeol had never trusted the Prince. They tried their best to be on his good side because it was never wise to openly go against a Prince without another one backing you up.</p><p>Once they were back at Socheon’s capital, before going to deliver whatever Adrian had asked of them, Chungyeol followed his routine of booking a room at the best inn and letting Jia there as to not have him fully surrounded by the vampire’s living under Adrian’s roof. Just that this time he had left Elena there with him.</p><p>“I am glad to have you back. It took a little longer than what I had expected. But now you travel with a blood doll, human pace is that slow.” Adrian welcomed them at his private studio.</p><p>“Prince Adrian, we’re glad to be back home as well.” Daroll bowed politely.</p><p>Chungyeol just nodded his head as he spoke with a disinterested tone. “That place was too sandy and too sunny. Not good for my delicate skin.” The younger’s words made Adrian laugh heartily.</p><p>“I guess it is not. Do I have my request attended?” The Prince asked eyeing the scabbard in Chungyeol’s hand with interest.</p><p>“Only that of the sword. The Artisan refused to come, but he said that maybe a visit to these shores could happen in the future,” Daroll replied with a hand sign so Chungyeol could hand him the sword. The younger vampire did so. “I hope you won’t mind the fact that Chungyeol got quite familiar with the weapon during our way back. He had always enjoyed fire and we had some dogs to dispose of,” Daroll continued walking closer and handing Adrian the sword.</p><p>“Well, I won’t mind if he does not try to steal it from me,” Adrian said as he unclasped the sword having it burn, the spiritual flame making the Prince glow in a sinister way. Yet both Daroll and Chungyeol actually felt impressed on how the sword’s flame had actually diminished just for the fact that it was not Daroll or his progeny holding on to it. Elena had touched it once and even then the flame had been stronger. They did not comment on it though.</p><p>“May I see the weapon the Artisan had crafted for you?” the Prince enquired as he was pulling the sword back in its scabbard. Chungyeol glanced at his sire, but the later did not glance back, he had kept his eyes on Adrian.</p><p>“There was no second weapon. The artisan had only chosen me as a worthy one, therefore he had not crafted for Chungyeol. We only got you what you wished for.” Daroll replied with a straight face, a tone humble and honest.</p><p>“How come? Chungyeol is such an outstanding one.” Adrian enquired not fully believing the other’s lie, he had seen glimpses of the future, he had seen Daroll holding on to a silvery sword that clearly had been crafted by the artisan.</p><p>“That old hag said I was just interesting, not worthy,” Chungyeol huffed. “He said I protect humans a little bit too much for his liking.” The younger reinforced his sire’s lie with his truth and Adrian felt compelled to believe.</p><p>The conversation fell on the plans Daroll had for his little coven and the kindred was in the middle of his explanation about deciding to go back to Chungyeol’s homecity when a female vampire barged in the room saying something about a blood doll fighting a few of their newborns.</p><p>Chungyeol felt a shiver run up his spine as he was the first to run out of the room and back to the inn where his treasures were. Daroll and Adrian had followed him and were right on time to see Jia and a human woman fighting two of their newborns, two others already lying on the floor decapitated. Chungyeol stepped in between the fight pulling both humans behind him. He growled dangerously at the newborns, who growled right back at him.</p><p>“Ahyoung and Hyundae, stop,” Adrian ordered and the two newborns glared at him only to fall on their knees at the next second at recognizing the Prince. “What do we have here? A hunter?” Adrian enquired then while fixing his gaze at the human woman.</p><p>“She’s mine,” Chungyeol said curtly. “Keep this smell in mind, stupid newborns. If you as much as get close to them again you’ll meet hell before seeing the sun again. <em>Nobody touches what’s mine</em>.” He all but snarled those words.</p><p>“You’ve got yourself a new blood doll?” Adrian watched with even more interest, his eyes never leaving the human woman. “Jia, I’m impressed that your fighting skills improved this much,” The Prince teased seeing that the human male had no weapon in sight while the female had a sword in hand. “Maybe I think I understand why the artisan refused you a weapon, Chungyeol. You already got yourself one without his help,” Adrian mocked before looking back at the newborns. “You are to be punished for breaking the rules. Blood dolls, in this inn, do not qualify as hunters or did you forget?”</p><p>The whole time Elena stayed calm under the prince's gaze but the moment he looked away she made a face before looking at the newborns. The man definitely knew how to ruin some good fun. She had almost taken down those two idiotic vampire brats. "With your permission, I'd be happy to stick some more holes in them as punishment," she therefore spoke up with a slight huff.</p><p>Chungyeol internally smirked at Elena’s words but dreaded the way Adrian had looked back at her. She had fallen into the Prince’s greed; he would try to steal her from him. “Such a strong willed human you’ve found, Chungyeol. You’ve already taken down two of my new progeny, I need the other two. Unless you’d like to be in their place and serve me as a newborn.” Adrian spoke using a flattering tone and trying to catch her gaze so he could indulge her to leave Chungyeol and come to him.</p><p>But Chungyeol knew what he was trying to do and he growled at Adrian. “Do I have to repeat myself? <em>She. Is. Mine</em>.”</p><p>The vampire Prince then locked gazes with Chungyeol, the kid was defiant and had never faltered in showing his loyalty only to Daroll. Adrian looked at said kindred expecting him to be looking reprimanding at Chungyeol but was graced with Daroll resting his hands at the hilts of his twin blades. A clear message that Chungyeol was the one he would protect. Adrian looked back at Chungyeol then.</p><p>"Such possessiveness, my boy. You won't have problems anymore I guarantee." the Prince spoke almost sincerely, but Jia, Chungyeol and Daroll knew better than to really believe. Adrian left the place, followed close by the vampires under his sirehood. Only then did the two vampires relax.</p><p>Jia angrily sighed. "Now you've given him the sword how will we get rid of those two? The sun has already set."</p><p>"We won't. Pack whatever you had unpacked, we're leaving right now." Daroll stated, firmly walking out of the room. Chungyeol though turned to his blood dolls. He glanced at Jia and then let his gaze rest on Elena all the time hatred burning in his eyes.</p><p>Elena had been just standing in spot keeping her eyes solely on the two newborns as she still felt like killing, not really noticing how the prince apparently seemed to try and put some claim on her. Only when the prince had left did she take her eyes off of them to take in the others. Only when she saw Daroll's sudden insistence on leaving and the hatred Chungyeol had burning in his eyes did she start to feel something past light annoyance, however, her expression softening to an almost apology. "What's going on?" she asked then. "Was it wrong of me to attack them?"</p><p>"Absolutely not. In this world it's kill or be killed," Chungyeol replied her. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Jia, they didn't bother you, right? I knew it would have been better to place a guard," when he opened his eyes again there was not only hatred but worry in his eyes he reached a hand and caressed Elena's face. "I never thought you could come to shatter our alliance with Prince Adrian,"</p><p>“They hadn’t.” Jia replied shortly already moving to go back to his room and gather his stuff. Things had never really been easy on him for being a blood doll and he was thankful no vampire had tried to claim him, but he could tell Elena would be a whole different story and he didn’t like the prospect. He just hopped they could go somewhere Adrian couldn’t easily get to them. Elena didn’t really notice Jia leaving as she had her eyes on Chungyeol. Even though she wanted to state that they were being dicks and that it really wasn't her fault they had annoyed her, one look at him was enough to make that fighting spirit dissipate and regret to color her expression instead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."</p><p>Chungyeol though didn't reply to her apology, it was not like it was her fault, Adrian was such a sick vampire. Instead he just leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss. A tender lovingly one. "Get your things," he ordered and turned to Jia who had re-entered the room saying he was ready and would wait downstairs with Daroll. The moment he ordered that, Elena moved at vampire speed, gathering the few things she had taken to the room in a few seconds before reaching his side again, but there were tears in her eyes now although she swallowed them away as best as she could.</p><p>"Elena, don't blame yourself if I end up killing Adrian. You are my Companion, not even he can change that. He insulted me by trying to steal you right in front of me," Chungyeol said then as he pulled her into a half embrace. "I won't allow anyone to put a claim on you other than me. I give a shit if he is a Prince."</p><p>Her only reply to that, though, was to nod once, stepping out of his embrace again with a short: "We have to go." Walking up to the door Daroll had disappeared through, she blinked away the last remnants of tears. Despite his words, she still felt like she had been the reason for this to happen and she wasn't about to make all this any more difficult on Chungyeol by being a mellow cry-baby about it.</p><p>Downstairs Daroll had already paid for the services double for the inconvenience of leaving in such haste. Instead of leaving to the county where Chungyeol had lived while human, the small coven rushed to the port, bribing the owner of a ship and departing to Nishinari Island, known to be a country itself, and therefore stepping outside Adrian’s domains.</p><p>The time they spent to cross the ocean and reach the far away island was spent in alert. Adrian had not taken it very well when he heard they had fled just like that somewhere outside his domain. He immediately had sent trackers after the two but over half of them didn’t come back. At the island, Daroll had some difficulty to adjust them into a noble position so they ended up taking the role of winding merchants travelling from city to city buying and selling goods.</p><p>They spent some good fifty years in that routine, because it had been a much easier way to lose the trackers from their smell. They had gathered some good fortune and a few alliances with local vampires including three Princes. Slowly the feel of being chased diminished with the amount of trackers coming to find them decreasing. Yet Daroll and Chungyeol knew that trusting Adrian had become too dangerous. Before, he would do many favors to have them viable to attend his every whim, but the fact that he so openly gambled with their loyalty was beyond them. There had not been a single day Chungyeol wouldn’t go tracing tactics on how to decapitate the Prince and not be chased for the rest of his requiem by Avengers.</p><p>The best opportunity came some three hundred years of living in the island – sometimes adventuring to the shores more south at Yeonjin Country, sometimes those to the north of Asha Country.</p><p>In those centuries, the country of Astaria fortified its army and invaded Gunzou, Asha and Socheon, taking many humans as slaves. The vampires of Astaria managed to dethrone many princes in those conquered countries, but Adrian managed to maintain his rule by helping the Astarian troops to conquer the capital and later by helping Socheon’s king to conquer their lands back. In the meanwhile, he did nothing to stop Astarian vampires from stealing territories and killing off Soceon’s newborns vampires. Later it became known that Adrian was actually from Astaria a group of Socheon vampires rebelled, calling out for the council of Elders who announced that if the unsatisfied kindred managed to overpower Adrian and his followers, a new Prince could be chosen. Daroll was not certain but maybe The Artisan had had some say in that.</p><p>One night, Chungyeol had been watching Elena fix some tea for her and Jia when the words left his mouth just like that. “If he still wants you, we might have a chance,” Jia looked up at him in disbelief, he knew how Chungyeol had been thinking of nothing but how to end Adrian’s requiem, but he would never expect him to risk Elena, because no matter what would be the explanation or the plan behind those words, it certainly had something to do with using her.</p><p>On the other hand Elena turned her head lightly to Chungyeol as well, at that however, with a pensive hum. "He probably does, no? If not I can always do something risky in front of him again to regain his interest," she stated then, turning back to her teapot and moving to take out the tea leaves again.</p><p>Jia stared at her in even more disbelief. "Wait just a moment! I vote for we let them kill themselves over there. I don't want any of you risking yourselves," he protested then, but Chungyeol shook his head.</p><p>"I hate Adrian’s guts from trying to steal Elena. I want his head," Chungyeol retorted, he was hardly that stubborn but with things regarding directly Daroll, Jia and Elena he just wanted to personally eradicate the problem. “He had always used our services from small to big missions, he’s probably very annoyed with this ‘rebellion’. We can go back to ‘offer peace’ and reunite in our previous joyful business. He is older than Daroll so he sleeps much less, he never lets his guard down but I am sure he would underestimate Elena. If she can’t kill him herself I am sure she can knock him unconscious, right darling?” Chungyeol smirked then, practically picturing the moment.</p><p>"Right," was all Elena replied to that, having poured out cups of tea throughout his explanation. She placed one down in front of Jia then and smiled at him with a hint of a tease in it. "Now be still and drink your tea, son, daddy and mommy are having a grown-up talk." She patted his hair lightly and leaned in then to press a kiss on his hair, like a mother would to a beloved child. Only between them it communicated her silent reassurance that she would be fine. Straightening up then, she turned back to Chungyeol. "So when do I get to stick a sword in his eye?" she asked then, voice cheerful.</p><p>Jia couldn’t help but pout at the way Elena spoke and the never ending smirk playing in Chungyeol’s lips with her reply. No wonder they were made for each other. Jia sighed and decided to say no more about the matter, already preparing himself mentally for the upcoming fight.</p><p>“As soon as possible. It will take a while for us to go back. With everything agreed between us, I’ll go notify Dal,” Chungyeol’s smirk turned devilish before he stood up. “I’ll leave you to the tea.” He left to find Daroll who listened carefully the younger’s plan to kill Adrian. It was risky but the best they could have as the situation was presented. Faking to be on the Prince’s side would be easier than to fight all the way to him.</p><p>The four of them informed the Prince of the region they were living at about their plans to go aid Adrian. Of course the intention was seen with distrust yet nothing was done against the message to be sent to Adrian anyway.</p><p>Said Prince actually received the news with second thoughts coming to him, he doubted the sincerity behind the ‘peace offering’ but figured that using Daroll and Chungyeol to defend him was an easy way to get them killed and also have his way with Elena, the blood doll never once left his head, he couldn’t stop entertaining the thoughts of breaking such a great will she had.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol had gone away from Prince Adrian as to preserve themselves, and then they were going back to end the quarrel. One of the sides would end up dying and none of them doubted who the winners would be.</p><p>Daroll felt somehow relieved to be back to where his heart had chosen as his homeland though he slightly dreaded the meeting with Prince Adrian. Messages had been sent back and forth and everything was put on right terms, Daroll and his coven were to stay at the Prince’s mansion as to protect him ‘more efficiently’. Adrian had the idea to send Chungyeol away on the first possibility, to secretly finish off some of the rebels.</p><p>The guards welcomed Daroll and Chungyeol not really paying attention to the blood dolls and escorted the four of them to the presence of the Prince.</p><p>“Daroll and Chungyeol. Was life so good at the islands you couldn’t even pay me a visit?” Adrian questioned in a friendly welcoming tone.</p><p>Daroll bowed slightly taking a step ahead to talk for the whole coven. “We apologize for the sudden leave, Prince Adrian, the circumstances were not so favorable back then, but now we hope to get back the trust we had in each other. When we heard about the rebels we all agreed it could work well for us to get back the cooperation we once had. We are here to end this little war for you.”</p><p>Adrian smiled as he beckoned them to step closer. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Daroll, you had always been my most loyal collaborators,” The prince started being cautious of not addressing them as servants and somehow ruin whatever was being built there. “To prove to you I wish the same you do, I’ve ordered my servants to prepare rooms for the two blood dolls, they each will have a private room, one room for each of you, they are to be treated as my most important guests,” Prince Adrian retorted with a soft tone, looking amicably at the blood dolls, his stare lingering too much on Elena for Chungyeol’s liking, yet he didn’t let his discomfort show.</p><p>“We appreciate it, Prince Adrian. I am sure this little uproar will be over without you even noticing. We’ll make sure to take care of it.” Daroll continued speaking with his humble tone, bowing once again to show how much he respected and appreciated the Prince’s words.</p><p>“The time spent crossing the ocean must have been though on your blood dolls, for now go see your rooms and rest before we can discuss about these little rats trying to steal my crown.” The Prince dismissed them kindly. All of them bowed before retreating so a servant would show them were their rooms had been placed. Before crossing the door Elena turned around and directly looked at the Prince, an unreadable expression on her face. The Prince returned the stare with an amused smile on his lips. Getting the human woman was a matter of time in Adrian’s view.</p><p>The week after their arrival had been one without big commotions, twice someone had dared to break in, but they were easily killed. Jia and Elena, despite the uneasy feeling of being constantly watched and most of the time sneered at, didn’t do much but house chores for Daroll and Chungyeol and for a reason or another Jia was thankful to that.</p><p>The best time to act their plan arrived around a week and a half after their arrival. Adrian was extremely pissed at the fact that an assailant managed to get too close to his room. Fortunately Chungyeol had been there on the right time and ended that bastard’s life. The thing Adrian didn’t know was the farewell speech Chungyeol would give to all the assailants he had killed so far. ‘Adrian’s head is mine’.</p><p>Prince Adrian had been shouting at his servants and guards. Exalted at the fact the more time it passed the bolder the assailants would get and the less efficient his guard would be. The Prince ordered the people to leave him alone as he wanted to rest for the rest of the day. It was in the middle of the afternoon but he didn’t feel like looking at any of the matters he was supposed to work on. Chungyeol and Daroll saw in that the signal to act. They purposely stayed behind and as Daroll had reached the door Chungyeol turned around and faced Adrian with a serious face.</p><p>“My Prince,” He called and then nodded his head slightly, enough to say he was being extremely respectful. “If you would like some massage?” he questioned simply just to entice the other’s curiosity, that was certainly a question one wouldn’t hear Kim Chungyeol ask.</p><p>“Are you offering to massage me?” the Prince questioned with a raised eyebrow and a teasing tone to which Chungyeol replied with a small smirk.</p><p>“Not me. Elena knows a thing or two of how to give great massages.” The young kindred replied enjoying the shocked expression that flashed before his eyes. Another set of words the Prince was not expecting.</p><p>After considering the offer Adrian could not keep himself from smirking. “If you’re offering your blood doll so nicely, I’ll take it. Send her to my bedroom so she can entertain me.” He ordered signaling Chungyeol to leave the room already. Daroll, who had stood by the door all along didn’t react at all and somehow it made Prince Adrian suspicious, but the prospect of having Elena had the effect the two kindreds expected. Adrian lowered his guard, underestimating the power of a blood doll.</p><p>Through whispered words Chungyeol gave the order and last minute instructions to Elena, who nodded seriously before reaching out and giving him a kiss he responded with fervor. If they failed they would all be done for. After they parted, Chungyeol called one of the servants and ordered her to take Elena to Prince Adrian’s private room. The servant looked at them with doubt but some harsh words from Chungyeol were enough to put the female kindred to move.</p><p>The walk to the room was silent, the servant had questioned softly for the reason a Blood Doll had been called over to the private room, but Elena kept mute, looking ahead and not even acknowledging the other.</p><p>The servant knocked on the door and announced Elena’s presence though it was mere formality, Adrian knew they were there anyway. He allowed her in and after the door was closed Adrian smiled at the human, who smiled back.</p><p>“My dear Elena. I hadn’t had the chance to speak with you before. It was such a pity the way Chungyeol took you away from me so suddenly. I hope we can get to know each other.” The Prince started with an amicable tone, not at all hiding the way he was staring at her body with longing.</p><p>Elena had to bit at her inner cheek so she could smile and retort with calm. “I do not resent the past, and neither does Chungyeol.” She assured with a small bow.</p><p>Adrian nodded and beckoned her to come closer. “You can start with the massage Chungyeol promised me.” He said patting his own shoulder.</p><p>The human woman bowed and walked closer, positioning herself behind the Prince who was sitting on a wooden armchair. Elena started the massage without any word, wanting the Prince to relax and lower his guard even more. But it proved to be a though thing to do.</p><p>“Chungyeol is a lucky fella to have a slave like you,” Adrian spoke suddenly causing Elena to freeze for a moment. The prince smirked at the reaction before he continued speaking. “You have talented hands, Elena. Does Chungyeol treat you well? I am sure I could treat you much better.”</p><p>Elena recomposed herself before replying with a soft. “He treats me well enough,” She applied more pressure on his shoulders wanting him to just shut up. “The massage works better if you relax, Prince Adrian. You’re in safe hands.” She urged and the prince moaned at the sensations she was giving.</p><p>He decided he could enjoy the moment before he moved to another kind of massage with her. Elena looked around the room to locate the closest window and frowned finally noticing there was something wrong with the room. From outside Chungyeol had pointed where the Prince’s private bedroom was, they could see windows from there, but from the inside there were just bookshelves everywhere. It was bad for the plan.</p><p>“Why is it that there are no windows in this room?” she questioned softly, moving her hands to the Princes neck, kindly forcing him to lower his head.</p><p>Adrian chuckled. “Didn’t you indirectly tell me not to speak?” he retorted shortly and Elena narrowed her eyes, yet before she could retort he answered her questions anyway. “There are windows behind the bookshelves. They are protective measures.” Elena frowned even more. Could it mean protective measures so no-one would jump in the room through them?</p><p>The woman nodded slightly trying to think of her possibilities, Chungyeol was to come in the room through the window, but having a bookshelf in front of it would just slow him down, she would have to help him by pushing the bookshelves down. Something hard to do when she had to stab the guy, and it was not something she was hundred percent sure would work.</p><p>While she kept pondering her possibilities and doing the massage, she noticed with the corner of her eyes smoothing up a bookshelf. It was a small ethereal blue bird, she recognized it as a familiar soul Daroll could summon.</p><p>Elena smiled knowingly, she didn't have to think too much then, with one hand she took hold of Prince Adrian's nape, massaging it with circular movements of her thumb and point finger. Adrian moaned at the new pressure but nevertheless spoke with a serious tone. "I wouldn’t pull out that dagger if I were you."</p><p>Elena frowned angrily but replied with a soft voice. "What dagger, my Prince?" The hand she had sneaked to her back to retrieve Daroll’s thin dagger passed by its pommel and just rested on her lower back. How could he know her intentions?</p><p>The next moment, though there was movement to the side where the ethereal bird was, Elena and prince Adrian turned to it, the latter sneered at the sight of the blue bird as it let out a chirp much similar to a crow, Elena on the other hand felt slightly taken aback at seeing tentacles of shadows trying to get the bird. When it yapped Elena could swear a voice spoke from within herself, Daroll’s voice telling her to attack.</p><p>She acted in reaction to that, pulling the dagger out and aiming Adrian’s heart, but the prince saw it coming, he still tried to dodge despite Elena having a deadly grip on his neck. The dagger ended up perforating the prince's shoulder.</p><p>The next moment Elena let go of him pulling the dagger with her, she ran to the other side of the room climbing on the nearest bookshelf and right after pushing the one beside it down. It revealed a deep red curtain she also tore from the wall. Adrian had tried to run after her but Elena had been faster, the moment the luminosity flooded the room the prince hissed in pain.</p><p>Everything happened in a blink after that. Chungyeol broke the window at the opposite side of where Elena was knocking a second bookshelf down, more light entered the room and Adrian cowered in pain hissing at the second betrayal. Milliseconds after Chungyeol got in other three bookshelves were down and then one more window was broken.</p><p>Elena felt slightly taken aback by the fact that just luminosity could hurt the Prince, she had noticed that Adrian's private room had been built in a place where basically the sun wouldn't reach, yet she didn't think further into the matter, after living that many centuries watching both Chungyeol and Daroll walking under the sun she had really gotten the impression every vampire could stand the sun. She could see then that it was not a whole truth.</p><p>Quickly she jumped to stab the Prince, but Adrian still saw her coming and dodged to the side of the room that still was not that bright. Yet he failed to notice there was someone there, Jia stabbed the prince at the side. "You?!" the prince gasped and Jia smirked.</p><p>"Surprise." The male blood doll mocked at the exact time Elena stabbed Adrian on the heart. The dagger finding it from back to front.</p><p>The last thing Adrian saw was Chungyeol smirking down at him holding on to his rather simple - if compared with the flaming sword -Water Dragon. "No-one steals what is mine and mine alone."</p><p>With an angered move Chungyeol cut off Adrian’s head. The body falling on the floor with a deaf beat. Elena looked at the dead body feeling a sense of achievement brush through her as they had managed to kill the Prince like they had planned. Yet she felt no happiness or even contentment, because regardless of her knowing when it was necessary to kill someone, she still didn't like taking lives - even though the prince was technically not really alive anymore to begin with.</p><p>Daroll entered the room through the door after a few moments, alone, and smiled at the scene. "The decoys had been caught, Chungyeol, Elena, Jia clean up your weapons."</p><p>Chungyeol pulled a small handkerchief from a pocket, it was damp with a special concoction that could erase the smell of blood and cleaned up his Water Dragon. Jia did the same pulling out two highly decorated and equally damp handkerchiefs, giving one of them to Elena. One of the stranger kindreds moved ahead holding on to a dagger and a sword. He reached the body retrieving Elena’s dagger from it and reaching it over for her.</p><p>After she took hold of it and wiped the blood out of the blade did the stranger put his own dagger in the hole and with precise movements slashed the prince a few times to stain his blade with blood. Not many seconds later three of Adrian’s servants neared the room and watched with horror the dead body and a complete stranger holding on to Adrian’s head.</p><p>In a corner Jia had been holding Elena protectively, both of them with scared faces, another stranger kindred was near them pointing a sword in their direction, near the door Daroll and Chungyeol were hissing at the assailants but there was nothing they could do anyway.</p><p>The one holding on to Adrian’s head held it up. “I, Daehyun, claim the status of Prince for I have Adrian’s head.” Chungyeol growled lowly in reply, but the next second relaxed on his stance as Daroll had done so.</p><p>“We ought to serve the Prince.” He had said bowing to Daehyun.</p><p>The one ‘imprisoning’ Jia and Elena relaxed and fully turned to face the ones by the door. “Vow respect to Prince Daehyun or die.” He warned the kindreds behind Daroll and Chungyeol.</p><p>Those happened to be extremely loyal to Adrian and seeing Daroll and Chungyeol accepting another prince just like that was not well seen, therefore they attacked the two kindreds. A new fight started yet the winners were obvious. As a new horde of servants reached the private room Daroll and Chungyeol were already positioned to protect the new prince who was still holding on to Adrian’s head. The same warning was given earning a few kindreds to bow and another few to attack to avenge Adrian’s death.</p><p>Overall by the end of three days Daehyun forced the recognition of his title with Daroll and Chungyeol in the front line of his guard. The commotion ended when an ambassador from the Council arrived and proclaimed Daehyun Prince of Socheon Capitol. What Daroll was not expecting was for the ambassador to be Sahyoun. The Artisan’s companion smiled malicious to him.</p><p>Her words had been shocking to say the least. ‘Daehyun is not the rightful heir of the title for it was not him beheading Adrian, yet the one that really did cannot receive the title for he has a sire. Said sire had an agreement with Daehyun, therefore for his direct participation in the assassination I proclaim, in the name of the Antediluvians, that Daehyun is this lands’ new Prince.”</p><p>The commotion had been big and even though names were not mentioned the kindreds knew those were Daroll and Chungyeol, they had faked everything, lured Adrian into a trap. Daehyun dismissed his guards ordering only Daroll and his coven to stay behind. Sahyoun watched in amusement the tension in the prince’s face. “I hope you had not been surprised. We Antediluvians know Daroll should be the one holding the Prince title, it was Chungyeol who beheaded Adrian.” She spoke then, her bright blue eyes never leaving Daehyun.</p><p>“I am aware of the situation. But it had been agreed beforehand that I would take the credit.” Daehyun defended himself with a calm tone, he knew his feelings were an open book to the ambassador but he had to keep calm. Now that the kindreds knew he was not the ‘rightful’ one many wouldn’t accept him, he could see there were the ones who would follow him for the title, those that will still try to avenge Adrian’s death, but with what Sahyoun said there would be the ones supporting Daroll to come and claim his ‘right’.</p><p>“That’s why I proclaimed you Prince and not Daroll.” The Antediluvian replied matter-of-factly, turning then to look at Daroll and his coven. “Daroll, There is another reason I had been sent here. The Artisan would like you to seek him again, he was immensely impressed by Chungyeol’s performance in this and also he wishes to see Aesur again. I think you would like to depart northwest, to Astaria, to meet with him,” She told him with an amused smile playing on her lips. “It’s such a pity the Flaming Sword was stolen by Adrian’s avengers.”</p><p>“At least the bloody Sword remains.” Daehyun replied to her last comment and somehow Daroll understood the message about the Artisan had been directly spoken in his head.</p><p>“What are your plans now, Daroll? Are you staying as head of my guard?” Daehyun questioned then wanting to put an end to the previous topic.</p><p>Enquired kindred shook his head. “Don’t take it as an offense, but I do not wish to guard you. What I did was a personal vengeance. My coven had always been nomad, it’s my wish to travel again. In truth I wish to seek The Artisan one more time.”</p><p>Daehyun found those words strange. “Why would you want to seek The Artisan again?” he therefore questioned to which Daroll bowed indicating he didn’t want that talk to last.</p><p>“It’s regarding my bloodline. In our last encounter he hadn’t deemed Chungyeol worthy a mythical weapon, after what he had done, I’d like to have them meet one more time.”</p><p>The excuse had been perfect. Daehyun glanced at Sahyoun. “There might be a chance.” She nodded and that was enough for the new Prince to make up his mind. Maybe having Daroll and his coven away would help him in imprinting his image of ruler to the kindreds that were supposed to follow him.</p><p>Daroll’s coven once again left the Socheon, the sire not knowing there was much more than just the challenge of finding the Artisan a second time in Sahyoun’s words. His requiem was about to have a new melody if only he had the right eyes to see.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Vierde Lied –The Fourth Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So there were the four of them, needing to go further northwest towards Astaria to find the old nameless Artisan for a second time. The capital found at the cold north was beautiful and lively, the citizens seemed to be well treated and living a happy life despite the hardships of the winter.</p><p>Daroll kindly asked an old lady for directions to the best inn in town and she politely gave him instructions. On their way people offered favors, greeted them welcome or just kept going on with their routines.</p><p>They surely had never seen a kingdom prosper like that one, the emperor was really doing wonders. At the inn they were granted three special rooms and Daroll decided he could try to keep a house for them there, it seemed to be a nice place to live in.</p><p>After settling down, the two vampires left to find other Kindreds and present themselves to the Prince of the region, Andreas. The Kindred actually lived at the castle in an area reserved for the human noble families. Daroll and Chungyeol were guided through a very magnificent court to the presence of well-fitted Kindred. He seemed to be around forty years old in human age, his expression was severe but the way he spoke to Daroll was polite. Andreas was a Deva, one of those vampires that had seduction as their best weapon so it was not strange to see the guy had six beautiful ladies as personal guards.</p><p>“Daroll, I’ve heard about your little revolution at the southeast. It made me very curious as to why you’ve requested to stay here for a while. Are you really in search for the Artisan?” the Prince greeted, hoping Socheon vampires were not plotting to invade their territories as they had tried to do in Socheon themselves.</p><p>Daroll merely smiled politely. “Yes. I am looking for him.”</p><p>Andreas made himself more comfortable at his armchair. “I’ve prepared a house at the outskirts for you, it’s small but I am sure you’ll make good use of it. You’ll probably be called to the presence of Emperor Markus, or at least Prince Frederick and Counselor Vincent as my guests from the Southeast. After all the mess Adrian had put us in I became a diplomat with the humans and considered a friend to the Emperor so you might be invited.” The Prince had said before motioning for two of his personal guards to apparently go away, but the ladies just moved and placed one at Chungyeol’s side and one at Daroll’s side still facing them.</p><p>“These are Natasha and Zoe, they’ll guide you around the city and wherever you are going for the Artisan. I want to test my luck with the old man with them,” The prince explained then. Daroll bowed and thanked the Prince for his hospitality. “But I advise you not to cause trouble in my land. I’ve heard tales about the first time you went looking for the Artisan, a human Emperor was beheaded and your progeny got himself a blood doll.”</p><p>Daroll merely bowed with a small smile, it was not his plan to mess up with human hierarchy. At least it was not his initial plan.</p><p>They headed back to fetch Jia and Elena at the inn and strode through the city towards their temporary house, but the curiosity took the best out of Daroll. “Why was it that Prince Andreas was talking about either the Emperor or the Prince would grant us an audience?”</p><p>Natasha and Zoe looked at each other before Natasha replied the question. “King Markus has been really sick for a few months now. So it can be that Prince Frederick will be the one welcoming you to the kingdom, for the humans you are some sort of ambassadors from the Southeast Kingdom.” The words were said with a somewhat preoccupied tone as if she was a loyal citizen worried with the king’s wellbeing, but the malicious smile she was trying to suppress let Daroll know there was more behind those words.</p><p>“And I assume you don’t really believe the Emperor is sick?” Chungyeol asked not hiding back his own smirk. Those two were up to gossips and Zoe proved him right.</p><p>“Andreas likes to know what’s going on in the kingdom, and we have our ways to find out. The Emperor is being poisoned.” She spoke in a whisper so only the vampires could hear; they didn’t want the citizens going crazy about that little piece of information.</p><p>“There seems to be some nice drama going on in this kingdom.” Chungyeol nodded and Daroll pondered the information.</p><p>“I take you also know who is poisoning the king?” Daroll asked in his turn, receiving a nod from both female Kindreds.</p><p>“Oh we do know, but if we interfere the drama will end.” Zoe shrugged and Natasha added.</p><p>“I know you felt amazed by how the citizens are actually happy with their situation and you must be assuming the Emperor must be an outstanding human being. You’re wrong in half of that,” Daroll and Chungyeol looked at the woman wanting her to explain further. “Ten years ago this place was just like any other kingdom, humans died by the winter from starvation and diseases, but something unexpected happened. The Emperor has a few slave tribes, descendants of the people his ancestors enslaved from Gunzou, Asha and Socheon. One of those tribes, a certain winter, had no problems with food. At first they had been accused of stealing but then it was found out they had developed a very promising way to increase the amount of food they could harvest. The Emperor ordered the one responsible for such method to be taken to the palace. The person was a youngster called Vincent.”</p><p>“Vincent as in Counselor Vincent?” Daroll asked slightly surprised.</p><p>Zoe nodded. “Exactly. The boy had lost his parents a few winters back because they had chosen to feed their kids other than to feed themselves. Vincent was the oldest and to save his younger siblings the next winter he had taken extra care of the soil managing to have a better harvest than other families. The next year the other slave families followed Vincent’s instructions ending up having more food stored than the poorest of the citizens. It was not very well seen.”</p><p>“Vincent is, if I say so myself, an admirable human,” Natasha said after Zoe made a moment of silence. “He was just a slave, yet he managed to convince the Emperor to apply his agricultural ideas to enhance the harvest but not increase the tax.”</p><p>“How exactly did he manage such a thing?” Chungyeol asked indeed amazed by the youngster’s courage.</p><p>“He challenged the Emperor and his counselors,” Natasha started. “Part of the kingdom would follow his ideals, the other, the policies the other counselors were defending. After five years the areas under Vincent’s management were producing three times more than the other areas, people were healthier and happier, there were almost no quarrels. The Emperor was forced to accept that if his citizens were to be happier the kingdom would gain much more.”</p><p>Daroll listened with interest to the tales about that youngster, how his ideas and strong character led the Emperor to gain the citizens support on the expansion of the kingdom, even his war strategies were better than the other counselors and the warlords were looking up to him. “In fact, the moment Emperor Markus dies, Vincent will die right after accused of poisoning the king,” Natasha said in a serious tone. “That’s the best part of the drama.”</p><p>Daroll held Natasha back and asked with a demanding tone what she meant by that. He couldn’t believe such a noble human would poison the Emperor just like that, he had no reasons for it. “With the Emperor dead there’s a chance the citizens would request Vincent to become the king. He is that much respected and loved for changing their fortune without a war,” The female Kindred shrugged. “Do you really think the other counselors would allow such a thing? They are plotting to frame Vincent, of course.”</p><p>Chungyeol growled at hearing those words and Daroll fell silent. Humans could be so despicable and self-centered. After arriving at the inn, Chungyeol acquainted Elena and Jia to the two Kindreds, who led them to a modest house at the outskirts. It had an orchard, completely frozen at that season, where they grew some vines. They were known for having a very tasty wine.</p><p>Zoe invited the newly-arrived to visit the most beautiful scenes in the capital and Jia gladly requested to be taken to the commerce street. At that point the coven divided itself: Chungyeol went shopping with Jia and Elena and Daroll decided to look around the city. There was something telling him he needed to look further into the royal matters. Zoe kept Chungyeol and the other’s company while Natasha guided Daroll through the shadows of the capital.</p><p>The two Kindreds ran to the royal palace where Natasha showed him how to enter in the most unsuspected way. Daroll learned where the most important rooms were located as he was taken to the throne room, the counselor’s room, each of their personal quarters. The last one they visited was the king’s bedroom, the two Kindreds hid themselves as they listened to the conversation going on between the weak Emperor and the Queen.</p><p>“My lord, please, ever since you took Vincent into this palace you’ve grown fond of him. Despite his hardworking outer attitude I can tell he is sad and worried. You’ve freed him from his slave condition why not grant his siblings the same grace?” the Empress had said with a soft pleading tone, but the Emperor was not even looking at her. The man was clearly having trouble breathing.</p><p>“They are not Vincent.” The Emperor replied curtly, his tone tired and fragile.</p><p>The Empress made a face over him. “My lord, you’re weak, and the meetings with the counselors just weaken you further…” she spoke with concern. “Please let Frederick rule in your place while you recover.”</p><p>The Emperor weakly shook his head. “My kingdom. It’s my duty.”</p><p>The Empress once again made a face, but decided not to protest, she didn’t want to fall out of his grace as the previous Empress  did. “I’ll let you rest, my Lord.” She spoke with a defeated tone before standing up. She bowed to the Emperor and then turned around to leave. Only at that moment Daroll had been able to glance at the Empress from his hiding spot and he froze on the spot. A new body, a new personality, but the same soul. He felt his heart being staked once again.</p><p>“Natasha, would the prince be capable of ruling this kingdom? Isn’t he too young?” Daroll asked trying to grasp more of the situation.</p><p>“Most probably,” Natasha replied. “Actually Frederick treats Vincent as a brother, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is just faking it.” She added with a small huff.</p><p>“I am going to pay a visit to the Empress tonight,” Daroll said as he walked out of his hiding spot, the Emperor on the bed didn’t notice him as he had closed his eyes and was starting to doze off. The Kindred hovered above the old man holding him by the shoulder. At the touch, the Emperor opened his eyes ready to demand who had dared to touch him in such manner but as his eyes locked with those bloody red of Daroll’s the scream got stuck in his throat.</p><p>“Emperor Markus,” Daroll greeted with a soft sinister smile. “You are in no condition of ruling a kingdom, not only because your body is weak now, but because you can’t see those openly betraying you. Do yourself a favor: Next time your counselors advise you to give your son the scepter, just go and give it to him. He has the right one to advise him.”</p><p>Each word got engraved in the king’s heart, who by then was looking at the vampire with empty distant eyes. Manipulating humans was the easiest when they were physically weak. Faster than the Emperor could think Daroll had already disappeared and the old man had fallen definitely into slumber.</p><p>“What do you think you’re doing?!” Natasha almost shrieked in protest, they had never interfered into human matters in that active way. It was against the rules they had themselves established.</p><p>“Natasha, my dear, you said yourself you like to watch the drama. Why not make it better?” Daroll spoke with a conspiring tone, trying to somehow seduce Natasha to join and help him into saving Vincent.</p><p>“I won’t help you. But if you do not reveal our existence too much maybe we can make blind eyes to your schemes.” The female Kindred replied back, leading Daroll to feel one step had been won.</p><p>The Kindred ventured around the castle taking the scents of the counselors, but to his sadness the one he most wanted to find was not at the palace. Indeed while Jia had been looking around the commerce street, with Elena on his tail as to not let him go astray, Zoe was conversing with Chungyeol about the war tactics Vincent had come up with, but at one point she smiled wickedly as she subtly pointed at a commoner.</p><p>“There he is, Chungyeol,” Zoe mused. “Our counselor Vincent.” Chungyeol glanced at the pointed guy, he was practically the same age as Jia if not younger. He was a tall human male but was still shorter than him or Jia. He had delicate features despite his slavery origin, but what was really catchy was the fact that just by looking he couldn’t say the guy was a noble.</p><p>“Why is he dressed like that?” Chungyeol voiced then, slightly snorting. “Is he too humble to use fine expensive clothing?”</p><p>Zoe giggled at the mocking tone Chungyeol had used for the question. “Somehow. When he is at the castle he dresses accordingly to his new status, but his siblings are still slaves so whenever he wants to see them he disguises himself, because he is not supposed to come see them,” Zoe explained her expression turning thoughtful. “Want to follow him?”</p><p>Chungyeol smirked. “Sounds like a good activity for this rather boring afternoon. I’m not in the mood for shopping.” After saying that he got closer to his blood dolls to tell them Counselor Vincent had crossed their path. Jia quickly ended a small transaction he was making and the four of them started following the unsuspecting counselor.</p><p>The first stop the counselor made was at a bakery shop. They waited for a few moments before stepping inside the small shop, Elena and Jia, smelling the delicious treats for sale, went on making a list of what to buy themselves, discussing and asking for free samples if they could be so kind as to offer. They tried to spend as much time there as possible to be able to overhear Vincent’s conversation with whoever was there.</p><p>“Counselor… are you here for Victor?” probably the owner of the place had asked and received a curt reply, but not an indelicate one and after a few instants another younger male voice sounded.</p><p>“Vincent!” the voice was preoccupied.</p><p>“Victor.” The counselor replied sounding tired, his face must not have been that good because the younger one asked immediately after.</p><p>“You still have no good news? Isabelle is turning sixteen next month… I don’t think we’ll be able to do much… they already found out I am her brother they don’t let me in anymore.”</p><p>Vincent cursed lowly. “I can’t free you. The emperor won’t listen to me,” He lamented. “And he forbade me to acquire slaves, I trust nobody to buy her.”</p><p>The conversation was getting a bit too cryptic for Chungyeol’s liking so he called Zoe and asked what they were actually discussing about.</p><p>“I told you he has a brother and sister. He is not that worried with Victor’s safety because the owners of this bakery are kind, and they fear Vincent’s status, therefore they treat Victor very well for a slave. But their younger sister is another story. After Vincent had been forced to live at the castle and forsake his origin, his siblings were separated and sold to different people, the girl was sold to a cabaret at the red light street. So far, by this country’s rules, she is too young to entertain customers, and despite Vincent threatening the owners of the place they don’t really listen because they know Vincent is going against an order from the Emperor.” Zoe explained and then pointed at a certain bread Jia should definitely taste.</p><p>They managed to stay and listen to Victor give some ideas that Vincent contradicted pointing the failing parts, but from what Chungyeol could grasp they needed either for the king to be so kind and free them or someone trustworthy to buy the little girl before she turned of age. When Vincent said he better go check on Isabelle, the Kindreds took that as sign to leave so Vincent wouldn’t spot them.</p><p>The counselor exited the bakery in a slight rush because the sky was starting to get dark. They practically crossed the whole capital to reach the cabarets street. Chungyeol scowled then because it was too early for the place to be open for customers so he ordered Jia and Elena to get back home and check if Daroll was back yet or not, he would stay behind and hide in the shadows to spy on Vincent a bit longer.</p><p>“Why such interest in this human kid?” Zoe questioned slightly suspicious as he saw Elena and Jia turning around after a short glance at each other.</p><p>“If you had asked that to my sire I guess he would reply: ‘exactly because he is interesting.’” Chungyeol smirked not sparing the Kindred with him another look as he sneaked in the shadows about right after Vincent had been allowed inside.</p><p>“Where’s my sister?” Vincent’s voice was no longer cordial, but carried a subtle hatred.</p><p>“She’s cleaning up the bedrooms now.” An old fat man replied with pretty much the same intonation.</p><p>“I want to see her.” Vincent seethed in reply gaining a scow as answer.</p><p>“If you pay for that. Today will be her first night entertaining the customers.” The old man chuckled but soon there was a bang sound, Chungyeol tried to see what had happened and was pleased to see Vincent holding the man against a wall.</p><p>“You do that and I’ll burn this place with my own hand. Don’t challenge me, Sergey. I didn’t become a counselor for nothing. I may not be allowed to buy my sister from you but I can get someone to do it. And if I get to know someone as much touched her in a wrong way I will kill you bpth with my own hands.” Vincent snarled but the old guy was not that much phased.</p><p>“I want to watch you try! You’re just a slave! Born slave, slave to death!” the man retorted pushing Vincent away. “I’ll tell you something, pretty boy, find someone to buy your sister before her birthday because if not I’ll make her a woman myself that day.”</p><p>Vincent pulled a dagger from his belt but before he could attack the man, three other servants interfered. They held him back and Sergey took the chance to punch Vincent in the stomach before he gripped the counselor’s hair. “You alone are no match. Get out, I am opening up soon,” He hastily let go of the other’s head. “Throw him outside!” the fat old man ordered and at that moment Chungyeol heard a gasp and then not long after someone crying. He felt ready to kill. That man was just occupying a lot of space that could be used for better things.</p><p>“Zoe, you can recognize his sister right?” Chungyeol asked using so much force against the wall he was using to hide he made a dent on it. The female kindred raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“We don’t interfere with human problems.” She somewhat warned.</p><p>Chungyeol looked at her with a sinister glint in his eyes. “I just made it personal. Scum like that deserves nothing but be obliterated from this planet. I am not allowing him to touch the girl.”</p><p>“You’re playing a dangerous game.” Zoe warned again.</p><p>“That’s exactly how I like my games. If you won’t help I’ll do it myself.” He moved and followed the salty smell of human tears, getting a good view of Vincent’s little sister.</p><p>That night Chungyeol sent Jia to the cabaret with the strict order to request the girl’s services if the old fatso put her to be entertainment. Vincent didn’t know but that night Jia had paid for her to serve him, but other than touching the girl Jia just talked to her, listening to stories about the time she was very small and how she missed her brothers, especially Vincent since they had been separated first.</p><p>Later that same night, after the palace was dark and most of its inhabitants were asleep Daroll sneaked in, this time guiding Chungyeol through the halls. “What do you want to do exactly, Daroll?” Chungyeol had questioned as they stopped in front of the counselors court door.</p><p>“I want you to keep an eye on these low humans while I approach Vincent, to alert him about the conspiracy. Let’s see where we are stepping and then we’ll act.”</p><p>Chungyeol nodded at his sire, still unsure of what his full plan was, but he had noticed a glint in his sire’s eyes that had not been there since the time he had helped Chungyeol free his people. He thought his sire was probably seeing in Vincent someone worthy of joining them, of being a full member of their coven and, after what he had witnessed that afternoon, he agreed wholeheartedly. They went on separate ways from there promising to meet back at their new house.</p><p>Daroll had gone first to Vincent’s room, intending to greet the boy and offer him his piece of advice, but the human was not peacefully asleep in his luxurious room, in fact the room was empty. Daroll deeply inhaled the air to try figuring out the human’s scent but it proved to be a hard task because there were many faint scents. It was clear Vincent didn’t use the room that often. As a last resort Daroll moved to the chest with his personal clothes, and there he got a hint on what scent to follow.</p><p>The vampire exited the room with caution, keeping himself hidden in the shadows as he moved fast through the corridors. He frowned as the scents that had been mostly male slowly turned to become female. He was at the side of the castle kept for the Empress and her servants. The frown deepened as the scent he started to address as Vincent’s led him to the queen’s bedroom door.</p><p>He was taken aback to notice there was faint light in the room and the ones inside it seemed to be talking. He inched closer to the door to listen up the conversation, not daring to step inside yet. Suddenly he was not so sure he wanted to help the human.</p><p>“I know you are running out of time, Vincent. But I can’t do much to help you. You know slaves are not allowed inside the palace without the King’s direct order.” The Empress had whispered.</p><p>“Sergey said he would start selling her body, my lady, he dared me to take her from him before her birthday otherwise he would violate her! How can I sleep with that? Isabelle is everything to me,” Vincent replied with urgency in his tone, bordering desperation. “All I have ever done was for the sake of keeping my brother and sister alive. Victor so far is fine and safe working at that bakery, but my little Isabelle… No, my Empress, I need to take her from that place.” The counselor continued talking but his words were met with silence.</p><p>Earlier the Empress had been requesting for the Emperor to free Vincent’s siblings, the conversation made sense but not the reasons behind the Empress helping an ex-slave like that. “I am sorry, Vincent. If I just could give the order I would. You know I would. I feel so pained for not being able to help my own nephew, but I can’t possibly reveal my true bloodline.” The Empress spoke again with a teary tone.</p><p>“I know,” Vincent retorted with an equal teary tone. “No one should know the Empress is actually a bastard child from a noble and a slave. So let’s not speak about it again. We have no blood relation, my Lady,” His tone became reproving at the end. “I’ll leave now. The guards are about to come do the rounds.”</p><p>Hearing that Daroll moved from the door to another safe hiding spot from where he watched the young man exit the room and stealthily walk away down the hall. Daroll had gotten a very interesting piece of information. He waited for the light to fully die before he ventured inside the room.</p><p>The Empress had gone to bed and had been trying to fall asleep when she felt the bed shake lightly indicating someone had gotten in it with her. She rolled to the side expecting to see no-one, hoping it had been just her imagination, but her eyes locked with Daroll’s. All her instincts had shout for her to scream but something deep inside of her seemed to recognize that man moving closer.</p><p>“An Empress status… suits you,” Daroll whispered taking hold of her face and softly caressing it. Despite being around forty years old already she still had a lively young glint in her eyes, the same glint he kept on falling in love over and over again. “What’s your name?” he questioned softly, gently. Lovingly.</p><p>“Lauren.” She whispered back at him, dazzled. She had completely fallen for his vampiric influence, that made her think the world was composed of only the two of them.</p><p>“That’s a very nice name,” he whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine. The next moment he was kissing her ear, her neck. In a breath he spoke softly. “I missed you,” Those words left Empress Lauren confused, some part of her mind, that was still thinking coherently, was sure she had never met that man before.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” She breathed back, not fully understanding what she meant by that, because thoughts of being sorry for not remembering meeting him before were mingled with thoughts of being sorry for not waiting for him, or even more confusing for not belonging to him.</p><p>“It was not your fault. Why do you always apologize?” he asked stopping with the small kisses to lock his gaze with hers. “If there was anyone at fault it was me,” He said with a painful expression that made her heart ache. When he leaned in and kissed her on the mouth she responded practically immediately, there was fear someone could hear anything but the feeling she needed to respond to those touches was stronger.</p><p>“Lauren,” He called softly, the words feeling bitter in his tongue. She still was looking dazedly at him, confused with what was happening. “I know a few little secrets that can cost many lives. Yours included. One of those is that the counselors are trying to accuse Vincent of killing the Emperor through poisoning. Be careful, freeing his siblings could be the same as sentencing them to death."</p><p>“What are you talking about?” she retorted, some rationality coming back to her as he had moved away slightly and had stopped with the small caresses. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” she felt a strong wave of fear crash down on her as Daroll smiled down on her.</p><p>“You know who I am, but you can’t remember… nevertheless that’s not the point… Let’s just say I am a compassionate soul and I hate to see how humans can be so self-centered. Think carefully of your moves and don’t let you nephew make a mistake based solely on his love for his own blood.” Daroll replied, slowly moving out of the bed and standing closer to the balcony.</p><p>Empress Lauren was still scared with that stranger’s approach, even more for how intimate he had touched her, she had thousand questions coming to her mind but there was a lump in her throat at the mention of her relation with the counselor. She closed her eyes as she ran over his words again. “Are you saying I shouldn’t free my nephew and niece?” she questioned in a whisper but received no reply. She quickly opened her eyes then and the man was no longer there. She felt another rush of fear. What was that man?</p><p>The next few days the Empress refrained from pleading the freedom of Vincent’s siblings, she was convinced she had been visited by some supernatural creature and decided it was better not to go against their wishes. She had told Vincent about the compassionate soul, but the counselor brushed that aside considering they were both so worried with the situation their minds were starting to play tricks on them. The young man refrained from telling his aunt that some strange man had also visited him a few nights back, telling him to watch his mouth and his actions if he wanted to live longer and somehow save the Emperor. The worst part is that he had already been suspecting the Emperor was being poisoned.</p><p>Yet, as time passed, both Vincent and Empress Lauren could not dismiss that strange forces had been conspiring both against and in favor of Counselor Vincent. The ones in favor slowly started to sound too suspicious to the young man, because most of them were actually against in disguise.</p><p>First it was his sister getting herself a patron at the cabaret. When Vincent first received the news he was ready to kill whoever had dared to touch his baby sister, but at speaking with her, Isabelle had confided the young man who paid to have her exclusively had never touched her in any crude way. The man had told her he was a tailor visiting their kingdom and that during the day he had seen her at the cabaret’s garden taking care of the flowers and saw in her a perfect model for his creations. All they did during the night was taking measurements and decide over different kinds of cloths.</p><p>In fact her patron had been persuading the cabaret owner to sell her to him and in a few days she would move in with him. The young man had promised to teach her the tailor’s art and so far he had never faltered in his words.</p><p>The day Isabelle was supposed to move in to the new house, words were given at the palace that noble Andreas was receiving a few friends from the Southeast kingdom of Socheon. As a welcome courtesy Prince Frederick had invited the newly arrived people to the palace for a lunch in their honor. Present at the banquet, other than Daroll’s coven, were the Empress and the Prince, a few counselors including Vincent, Andreas and his ‘wife’ Agatha.</p><p>The Empress  had been surprised when Daroll entered the room, yet her cold sweat could not be compared to that of Vincent’s for the young man had seen two familiar faces: Daroll’s, being the one who had visited him at night, and Jia’s, the tailor that had somehow rescued his sister from the cabaret.</p><p>The lunch, Vincent could tell, had been filled of lies, he couldn’t trust those strangers when they said that Daroll, Chungyeol and Jia were cousins and that Elena was Chungyeol’s wife. Maybe the second part was the most believable from their story. They were something like a family of merchants and their finest goods were the clothes Jia made. They had so far traveled to different lands in search of fine goods and that was the first time they were visiting the northwest lands.</p><p>Fortunately nobody seemed to see how uncomfortable both the Empress and Vincent had been during the lunch. At one point, Jia asked to be excused because he was dealing with the purchasing of a slave and he couldn’t afford to be late for the meeting, he left along with Elena, both of them sparing one last glance at Vincent and a small smile. He just hopped his baby sister would be safer at their hands than at the cabaret.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol kept talking about business and their interest in the weaponry the kingdom had. That interested Frederick quite a lot, because the prince questioned if they were sword masters and at receiving an affirmative reply requested a friendly match, their swords against the southeast swords. Chungyeol had volunteered for the match enchanting the royal members with his fluid moves.</p><p>After the welcoming was finally over and both Daroll and Chungyeol had left, the Empress retreated to her room to rest, while Vincent changed clothes and exited the palace in a hush to find the place his sister had been taken to. Unknown to the two, the other counselors had sent a spy after him, something they had been doing for quite a while whenever the young man would disguise himself and visit his siblings.</p><p>A governess opened the door for Vincent and welcomed him to Park Junghwa’s residence. He was guided to a quite fancy decorated living room where he waited for his sister to arrive. A few minutes later the fifteen years old girl rushed to him, shouting his name in utter bliss. Vincent was stunned to see his baby sister dressed pretty much like a little princess.</p><p>“Isabelle, what are those clothes?!” he questioned the girl that had been hugging him like her life depended on it, but hearing the question she released him and took two steps back as if to show him the dress.</p><p>“Isn’t it beautiful?! Jia oppa gave it to me after we arrived! They gave me a bedroom and I even get to eat with them at the main table!” the little girl rambled swirling around in her happiness of being indeed treated like a princess.</p><p>“They what?” Vincent asked dumbfounded. “And how did you call Sir Jia?” he asked with a reprimanding tone, but he didn’t know what that word meant. Isabelle calmed down at being half-scolded.</p><p>“They told me to call sir Junghwa as ajhussi, sir Chungyeol and Sir Jia as oppa and Miss Elena as unnie…” she explained timidly. “They said it’s how a younger girl is polite to older people back where they came from. Elena unnie calls Chungyeol oppa ‘yeobo’ and they taught me it’s the same as our ‘darling’. Jia oppa calls Elena unnie ‘noona’, while he calls Chungyeol oppa and Junghwa ajhussi ‘hyung’. They told me it’s how they are polite when talking…” she had continued to explain getting slightly excited again as she kept on talking but going calmer as Vincent kept looking at her with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“They are really not treating you badly?” Vincent asked opening his arms for Isabelle, who promptly jumped in it shaking her head.</p><p>“They told me to feel like part of the family.” She whispered to her older brother. Vincent frowned at her words, that Junghwa dude had found a way to sneak into both his room and the empress’s room, that Jia dude conveniently had chosen his little sister to be his model for young lady dresses, they had paid a small fortune to bribe the cabaret into selling a potential gain. Why were they doing those things?</p><p>“Counselor Vincent,” Chungyeol greeted him as he was descending the stairs with his wife right beside him. “We had been expecting you to come and check on your sister. We were quite shocked when we learned about your relationship.” The man spoke cordially but the tone was so fake Vincent was even more certain it was no coincidence.</p><p>“Of course you were,” Vincent narrowed his eyes at the man. “I’d like to see the conditions my sister will be treated in here, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>Chungyeol smirked and Vincent felt he shouldn’t contradict that man. For now. “Be my guest. Jia is working in his improvised studio, he really liked your traditional clothing, so he is set into being able to make them himself. Little Jinae is helping him quite a lot, aren’t you dongsaeng?” Chungyeol asked smiling down at Isabelle.</p><p>“What did you call her?” Vincent practically hissed, he was disliking profusely all those southeast mannerisms.</p><p>“I can hardly pronounce these complicated names you have, so I decided to call her Jinae. Means something like truth, treasure and love. Certainly this is what you feel towards her right? If I were to name you, you would be Sungmin.” Chungyeol kept on talking causing Vincent to frown.</p><p>“He means you are someone who’s destined to accomplish things and is smart to do so,” Daroll spoke behind Vincent causing the young counselor to lightly jump in surprise because he hadn’t heard the other arriving. Daroll merely smiled at him as they eyed each other. “You are free to visit any time and stay even if we are not home, you can feel this as a second house for as long as your sister stays here. I’m sure you’ll find a way to bring her to the palace sooner or later.” Vincent felt a shiver run down his spine as he remembered that man telling him to think twice before giving in to his heart’s yearnings.</p><p>“Vincent oppa, let me show you the house!” Isabelle chirped making said guy pay attention to her again. The last thing Vincent heard before being pulled to the stairs was Chungyeol chuckling and saying how he liked fast learners like little ‘Jinae’.</p><p>Later that night, Vincent felt troubled as he went back to the palace because indeed his sister was being extremely well treated by those strange people. Yet his heart was not at peace.</p><p>A few days later, the Emperor’s health got slightly worse and they held an urgent meeting, all counselors agreed the Emperor should just rest and they once again insisted Prince Frederick should be passed, if not the crown already, at least the scepter so he could make the decisions on the Emperor’s behalf. To their surprise the Emperor did not object and they held a short ceremony with a few nobles present as witnesses of the rites of passage.</p><p>Prince Frederick was much like his father, but differently from the Emperor, the Prince openly discarded the counselors’ advices having solely in Vincent a source of ideas. The nobles didn’t find that strange because ever since the moment Vincent had been brought to the palace the prince’s teachers had polished him and he and Frederick soon became best friends, treating each other like brothers. Vincent had a strong respect for the older male and it only increased once he discovered the Empress was actually his aunt and Frederick was his cousin.</p><p>The insecurities regarding who would raise to the throne were diminished by the fact Frederick was now in charge of the whole kingdom, but bad tongues still whispered everything was just an act and that the real Emperor was Vincent, he was the one making the decisions, Frederick was just making them public.</p><p>The royal members though made all blind eyes to those comments, for anyone to ask, Frederick trusted Vincent as he trusted himself. That became clear as not a week later Vincent had in his hands the letters that would set his little brother and little sister free from the slave title. Despite Daroll’s warnings and advice to keep the two away from the palace Vincent wouldn’t take that. He wanted his family reunited, so he picked up his brother at the bakery he had been working at and his sister from Daroll’s house.</p><p>Unknown to Vincent the moment he took his siblings to the palace everything was set for his downfall. Daroll had been called to Prince Andreas presence and he had been warned to stop interfering in the human’s matters, but the kindred wouldn’t have that.</p><p>“Prince Andreas, I won’t interfere in the matter anymore, but if Vincent is really sentenced to death I’ll claim him as mine and will grant him vengeance.” He made his intentions clear causing Andreas to look at him with slight displease. It wasn’t really his duty to tell who Daroll could or not embrace and, if he was really sincere, he wanted to see what Vincent would do to get his vengeance.</p><p>“As long as it doesn’t result in war,” Prince Andreas decided to allow the play to go further. “If I deem you have caused too much trouble in my land, Daroll, you’ll have Avengers on your back for as long as you can run away from them.” Prince Andreas threatened then. Daroll could only hope Vincent would be able to keep himself alive.</p><p>Yet what Daroll and Chungyeol actually failed to notice was something very carefully hidden in Prince Frederick’s heart. In truth Frederick had questioned the other counselors about freeing Vincent’s siblings, his mother had already been making that request from the first day he had sat on the throne on behalf of his father, he couldn’t understand why his mother was so strongly asking something for Vincent’s wellbeing. The counselors had advised him to yes free the kids and allow him to bring them to the palace.</p><p>Frederick had been there as Victor and Isabelle were first introduced to the Empress, she had such sweet smile to the both of them, she had taken Isabelle to be one of her chaperons and requested Victor to be taught by the imperial teachers as Vincent had been. Said Counselor was only smiles and gratitude towards both the Empress and the Prince. Victor made a small request to be allowed to the kitchen because after working such a long time at the bakery he wanted to be a cook himself. He had no big goals really.</p><p>The counselors had only seen in those the best outcome to their dreadful plans because Vincent had been going around searching for medical herbs in hopes of finding something that could save the Emperor. He couldn’t take from his mind Daroll’s words about his highness being poisoned.</p><p>Vincent had found a few herbs that would fight against poison and used Victor’s access to the kitchen to make the infusions themselves. This little action had not been expected by the other counselors but they still took it to their benefit, at having the Emperor recovering after taking those infusions the counselors started to use the resentment they knew existed in Frederick’s heart. Every day they would whisper lies in the prince’s ears, saying they were suspecting Vincent had been poisoning the king so he could snatch the throne, that freeing his siblings was just a first step to free his tribe. At first Frederick did try to fight it but he could hardly stomach to see the sweet smiles and praises both the Empress and Emperor showered the slave with.</p><p>One fateful night the counselors decided to make their first definite move for Vincent’s downfall. They managed to get one of the maids whisper around Isabelle about the great move it was for her brother to poison the Emperor, protective the way she was, the little girl defended her brother and ordered the maids to stop talking non-sense. But the doubt had been placed in the child’s heart.</p><p>The spies informed the other counselors about the girl sneaking in the middle of the night to Vincent’s room. Stealthily they convinced Prince Frederick to go check on them so they silently eavesdropped on the siblings. After entering the room Isabelle shook Vincent awake. For a moment he thought it was Daroll coming to warn him of something despite it being a long time since the vampire had showed up. He had started to think he had given up.</p><p>“Daroll, is that you?” he called still half asleep.</p><p>Isabelle frowned before she replied with a soft voice. “Who’s Daroll, older brother?”</p><p>At hearing her voice Vincent fully woke up, he sat up and held Isabelle by the shoulders. “What are you doing here, Isa? You should never leave the Empress side!” he half scolded her.</p><p>“I know.” She replied shortly slightly hesitantly. But she needed to confirm those gossips. “Brother… is it true about the king being poisoned?”</p><p>Vincent felt a shiver run over his body. “Where did you hear those? You should not talk about it.” He replied seriously and his expression spoke enough for the girl, she may be young but she knew all of her brother’s facial expressions, all his emotions were written there and she saw he was preoccupied, it could only mean those gossips were true.</p><p>“So it’s true? That’s what those herbs you gave Victor were for?” she questioned then getting closer to hug her brother, he pulled her closer never having the heart to reject her hugs.</p><p>“Those are antidotes, I’m trying to get rid of the poison now, so the Emperor should be fine soon. Hopefully the next dose will be his last.” He started to explain. Those words were wrongly interpreted by Frederick. The counselor that was closest to him whispered ‘You see, my Lord, he had been poisoning the Emperor so he would seem sick, he was taking you for a fool he could easily manipulate.’</p><p>Isabelle sighed. “Brother… do you think the Emperor would ever free our tribe?” her question got him slightly off guard, he caressed her hair before he answered.</p><p>“I had a hard time just to free you and Victor. Emperor Markus wouldn’t free our tribe, but Frederick most probably could do so. It would take longer though. I’m glad enough I freed you both.” Vincent replied sincerely. He didn’t care that much about his tribe, they had never done anything for him. After his parents died none had offered comfort and Vincent had to work his ass off to keep the two younger kids alive. If those people thought him a traitor then he would be. He thought he had the right to be selfish life that.</p><p>Those words just left Frederick in rage, he felt like barging in and ordering Vincent to be arrested, but he had no proof, the infusions he had openly given his father had been working. He decided to wait for him to take a wrong step. Not willing to hear anything more the prince retreated to his room leaving behind snickering counselors.</p><p>Two days later Vincent and Victor prepared what they believed would be the last infusion needed. The poison should have been completely dissipated by then. Yet unknown for the two, beforehand the emperor had been given another infusion with a bigger dose of a different poison. The counselors had studied the herbs Vincent had been using and they discovered another one that combined would really be the emperor’s last.</p><p>The empress had been the one to give her husband the infusion, Markus had been complaining of strange pains, but his wife assured him it would all be gone. Frederick had been in the room, slightly worried about his father once again not feeling well. Lauren gave him a short kiss on the forehead and admonished him to rest. The emperor had closed his eyes and two minutes later started convulsing, his pupils were rolled making his eyes seem completely white and some kind of foam started coming out of his mouth.</p><p>The Empress shouted for help, Frederick rushed to his father and tried to hold his father down. Three counselors made their way into the room and quickly shouted for someone to bring the doctor and the herbalist to the room quickly. Other counselors also rushed to the room, one of those being Vincent.</p><p>The doctor and the herbalist tried to be of any help but the moment they arrived it was already too late. Emperor Markus was dead, clearly poisoned.</p><p>Frederick sent a murderous glare Vincent’s way, but the counselor did not flinch, just stared back unsure of why his prince was looking at him with such hatred. The words spoken a few nights back were running wildly in the prince’s head and the moment the herbalist confirmed the king had been clearly given a high dose of some kind of poison all eyes also turned to the youngest counselor.</p><p>“You killed my father! You traitor of the crown!” Frederick shouted. “Guards! Arrest this filthy slave!”</p><p>Vincent was totally taken aback by those words. “Your highness, I am innocent! Lucca! I had showed you the herbs you had taught me how to make the infusion! You know that wouldn’t kill the emperor, but save him!” the young man started to protest already pushing the guards away so they wouldn’t hold him down. “My Empress you know I would never betray your husband!” he looked at his aunt who had been crying over the emperor’s dead body.</p><p>“Stop talking! Take him away! Arrest both siblings as well!” Frederick ordered and the guards used more strength to pin Vincent down and take him to the chambers. All the while Vincent kept shouting for his innocence and for the lives of his siblings. But all fell over unheard.</p><p>Vincent was locked down in a chamber while the guards rushed to arrest his siblings, yet with all the commotion the palace had been set into, they could barely run to their destinations. A group headed to the kitchen area to take hold of Victor, but they did not find the boy in there, another group rushed to the chaperones court but they also did not find the girl. After searching in every room inside the palace words were taken to Frederick about the missing kids.</p><p>“Do you see, your highness? Vincent thought he would be able to lure you away from the truth, but he was cautious enough to hide his sibling if anything was to fail.” In truth the counselor had already hidden the two kids in one of the chambers, well tied as to not make a sound.</p><p>“Damn him!” Frederick hissed. “I want him dead! A life for a life! Once you find his siblings they are to be taken to the mines, both of them!” the crown prince ordered in rage.</p><p>“That’s the wisest decision, my lord.” Another counselor agreed and a third gave the idea for the death.</p><p>“You shall announce to the whole kingdom, my lord, the danger of believing a slave. For such actions he deserves to be given as food to the white tigers. Traitors of the crown should not even leave a body to be buried behind.”</p><p>Frederick locked gazes with the old man. “Do as you recommended. I want to push him down the hole myself.” And saying that, the prince retreated to his mother’s side to give her a little bit of strength in such a morbid day.</p><p>The search for Victor and Isabelle continued as the preparation for the burial of Emperor Markus was made. Lauren had fallen ill at the sudden loss of her beloved husband and the prince had been the one to lead the rites, his father had been buried in the Emperor’s crypt beside the previous emperors of the kingdom.</p><p>Vincent had been kept in the chamber with barely any food and water, worried to death for his siblings. After two days of imprisonment he received his first visit: Daroll’s. At seeing the man at the other side of the iron bars Vincent sneered.</p><p>“Are you here to tell me ‘I told you so’?” he deadpanned. “Didn’t you say you were going to help me save my emperor?”</p><p>“I was forced to stop interfering. I too have rules I need to follow, it doesn’t mean I had not been watching. The fact that you see your mistakes and acknowledged what I had told you was the truth was not enough to help you save your emperor, but there’s still a chance to save your family.” Daroll retorted with a soft warm tone.</p><p>Vincent snorted. “Oh yeah, Frederick has been put against me, he won’t believe my words, the Empress is in no condition of helping me either and I have not a single clue where my brother and sister are. I have no way of helping them.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t have trusted Frederick that much. Aren’t you wondering how he could turn his back on you so suddenly?” Daroll questioned with suddenly a slightly colder tone. “I doubt he had ever really trusted you.”</p><p>“Don’t speak badly about him!” Vincent nearly shouted. If there were people in this planet he trusted it was his family and Frederick was his family, he was his cousin.</p><p>The right side of Daroll’s lips curved upwards in a small smirk. “Sometimes feelings are not mutual. You blinded yourself with your own beliefs, yet I see in you what the world cannot see. For what I see in you I want to offer you a deal. I’ll give you the power to alone save your siblings and get revenge on those that so carefully plotted your death, but in return you’ll join me in my dream of protecting innocent humans.” The vampire offered making Vincent go silent.</p><p>The young man pondered those words. Frederick had accused him of betrayal against the crown, it meant he was already sentenced to death and he doubted the empress would be able to revert that situation. He wasn’t even sure if he was still under her grace if she believed he had been such a disloyal man. What revenge could he get? Killing the counselors would just make him the same as them. If he was to accept that deal it was only to take his brother and sister away somewhere safe.</p><p>“Why are you offering me this deal? What is it that you had seen in me to make you help me?” Vincent questioned then, that small part of the puzzle was not making any sense to him.</p><p>“What I saw?” Daroll answered moving his head to the right with a small frown, he took in a deep breath and then nodded to himself. He had not noticed the two hidden kids down the farthest chamber till that point. “First I saw this kingdom. It told me you have courage to fight against your destiny, it told me you were wise not to lead things to war, it told me you were kind to those that suddenly were below you, most importantly it told me you were filial and trustworthy. You have passion, you do not hold back when you feel the need to speak, you stand your ground even with so many against you. But your greatest quality had also been your mortal flaw: you love your own blood too much.”</p><p>The explanation made Vincent go silent again. He was wrong. He was right. “You’re wrong. I am not what you are picturing me to be. I don’t care about what happens with the people in this kingdom, I had done nothing for their sake nor for those slaves that supposedly are my tribe. When my parents died nobody did anything for me or at least for my sister, I had to work for three to be able to keep them alive. Every step I’ve taken was solely so I could save my brother and sister, solely so I could give them a good life, so I could prevent what happened with our parents to happen with them. I am selfish for loving only my own blood.”</p><p>“That’s what you want to believe in. You’re just trying to harden your heart as to not think of yourself as a sweetheart. I am sure when you were taken to the palace your sole thought was for Victor and Isabelle, but there was something else behind you challenging the counselors and the Emperor. It was when you arrived at the palace and Empress Lauren showered you with care, ordered you to be instructed and raised as a noble along with her own son, when she confessed to you her origin and that she had been the one dropping a silver coin every month for you after your parents died. When you discovered the Empress and the crown prince were also your family what did you do, Vincent?" Daroll left the words hanging in the air as if in challenge, but Vincent remained silent. Daroll smiled and continued talking his gaze never leaving the kid's face.</p><p>"You had been set on just telling them how to treat the crops, but you saw the way the counselors were murmuring against the Emperor, and you knew what the citizens and slaves were murmuring against the crown.” Daroll retorted with a soft but challenging voice, Vincent felt his blood rush to his cheeks as memories came to him along with the vampire’s words. How could he know all that? Everything he was sure he had hidden inside himself all the damn time.</p><p>"What did you tell the emperor? 'If your highness gives the citizens the knowledge to survive the winter, but take the fruits of their labor leaving them with the same nothingness they always had, your highness won't have just enemies outside the kingdom, but inside. Who are those that hold your weapons and die in your wars? No, my emperor, it's not just the citizens who have to be under your grace, your subjects have to love you to fight your wars.'" Daroll continued speaking, pleased with the way Vincent had stiffened and visibly widened his eyes then.</p><p>Those had been exactly the words he had used, no more no less.  </p><p>A long silence lasted after those words, the human was trying to grasp how he could have known that. "How?" he questioned simply but then managed to get a better question out. "How do you know so much? Every bloodsucker has strange powers like that?" he blustered out as if weighting the strange powers to get himself to a decision.</p><p>Daroll shook his head with an amused smile playing on his lips. "We have some strange powers, but I am not one of those that can look at the past, I can only question and know the answer without a reply. There are many other powers I cannot use but also many other powers others can’t use."</p><p>Vincent snorted hearing that. "Then I do not need to answer your question about this deal you're offering."</p><p>"Yes you have to. Because you’re still in doubt, I need to hear from you so I can clearly see the answer. Frederick has already decided how you're going to die. You can abide to his wish and have your brother and sister die after your, or you can accept my deal and save them."</p><p>The young man was once again silent pondering those words. "Either way I die. I want a third choice in which only those real traitors of the crown die."</p><p>Daroll shook his head. "I cannot offer you that. Who would grant you such a thing?" his tone turned kind and resigned, he already knew that Vincent wouldn't give up his life till the last minute.</p><p>“I still believe in my Empress, I know the possibility is minimal, but I’ll trust one last time in her and in Frederick. I must speak to him one last time.”</p><p>Daroll sighed expecting the boy to be that stubborn. “My offer stands till your last breath, Vincent.” And after saying that, Daroll vanished from his sight.</p><p>The vampire silently ran through the palace’s corridor deciding that it would be safer to get to the Empress’ room from outside. The moment he landed on the balcony he heard the chaperones trying to console their empress, Lauren was still in shock crying and asking what had gone wrong.</p><p>The vampire had to wait for a few more hours for the chaperones to accomplish having Lauren to fall asleep. Only after the young ladies left the room did he move from his hiding spot. It pained him to no extent to see her soul in pain for the loss of a husband, it pained him she was capable of loving another man to that point. It was another proof that once again, in another of her lives, she did not belong to him or with him.</p><p>He silently took a spot beside her in bed, he watched over her sleep not being able to wake her up, but then he thought if she needed to rest at least he could give her a pleasant dream. He moved closer and started kissing her cheek, his lips moved slowly by her jaw line and down her neck, there he gave her a vampire kiss, with all the care in the world he filled her with love and urged her most happy memories of that life to fill her dreams.</p><p>For another night Vincent would have to sleep in the chambers. Daroll could talk with Lauren after she had rested for the night. She woke up an hour before the stipulated time for Vincent's execution. The day had already been advanced and none of her chaperones had been around, Frederick had ordered to leave his mother alone for as long as she needed the solitude.</p><p>The human woman felt slightly surprised at seeing Daroll sitting on her bed, lovingly looking over her sleeping form. After a short moment rage took control of her. "Why didn't you save him? You said he was being poisoned! Why didn't you help Vincent save him?! Why did he die?!" she sat on her bed and started hitting his chest as she started to cry again.</p><p>"I told you he was in danger but you and Vincent did not listen, you both focused on saving two kids rather than pushing away those that had been plotting against your nephew," Daroll spoke softly trying not to sound reprimanding. "You lost the man you love, but if you do not put yourself together you'll allow your son to kill his cousin."</p><p>At the last affirmation Lauren locked her gaze with his. "What?" she asked dumbly. "Where’s Vincent? What are you talking about?"</p><p>"While you were mourning the counselors succeeded in accusing Vincent of betrayal. Frederick is to push him to the tigers in an hour." Daroll answered taking hold of her face in between his hands willing her to understand how much Vincent was now trusting his life in her hands.</p><p>As the information sank, Lauren stood up abruptly, she ran out of the room barely taking hold of a robe to dress herself with. Lauren ran to her son's room and felt relived at finding him there. Frederick was startled at having his door opened like that so suddenly, but at seeing his mother he frowned and walked to her to help her stand, she was still crying.</p><p>"You can't, Frederick! You can't!" she nearly shouted causing the Crown Prince to be much more worried with his mother.</p><p>"Mother, calm down," he practically pleaded. "What is it that I cannot do?" he questioned caressing her face in an attempt to calm her down, in moments like those he would notice how much taller than her he became and how frail she seemed to be.</p><p>"You can't allow Vincent to be killed! You have to save him! He is innocent!" she answered his question with desperation in her voice. Frederick tensed up, his expression darkened at hearing the request for the traitor.</p><p>"Mother, you do not know what you're asking. Vincent betrayed all of us. He killed dad!" the young prince replied holding his mother tighter willing her to understand and stop protecting that slave.</p><p>Lauren shook her head. "No! He is innocent, Frederick, he was trying to save your father! It was the other counselors! You know they hate him!" she protested almost blindly speaking the first thing that came to her mind.</p><p>Frederick couldn't believe his mother was so blind or why she had always treated Vincent as a son. "Why mother?! Why do you trust him so much?! Why do you so blindly take his side?! He killed father!" Frederick tried again but Lauren remained adamant on saving her nephew.</p><p>"He wouldn't betray us, Frederick!" Lauren started to cry even more, she wouldn't be able to lose those kids, because if Vincent was executed, Victor and Isabelle would die as well.</p><p>Frederick released his mother suddenly disgusted. One of the counselors had spoken something about it being strange how close the empress and Vincent were, obviously hinting that they could be having an affair, Vincent could perfectly have seduced the empress, by killing the emperor and possessing the empress’ heart could be his plan to acquire the crown. "Mother, if you keep defending that filthy slave I’ll start to think you two were seeing each other behind my father's back." the prince voiced then with a venomous tone.</p><p>The empress felt those words hit her like a slap on the face, so she impulsively slapped her son. "I’ve only loved your father! But I know Vincent would never betray me. He is too loyal to his family to do so."</p><p>Frederick took a step back, the absurd idea of Vincent being her son crossing his mind, but Vincent was just a few months younger  than himself it would be impossible.</p><p>Lauren continued speaking, she stood straight looking at her son with all the authority of an Empress. "Vincent is my nephew. My father was not Duke Albert, but a slave. You, Frederick, also have slave blood in your veins. Vincent knows we are family, he would never betray you or me, he would never kill your father."</p><p>Frederick felt the weight of those words, his mother was a bastard child. He looked at his mother in disbelief but decided. Vincent was probably the only one that knew that, him and his siblings. There was no guarantee that secret wouldn't be discovered. He needed to bury that truth with those three.</p><p>"Vincent is going to die. And so is his brother and sister." the prince spoke resolute, walking to his bedroom door. Lauren tried to hold him back once again pleading for him not to do that, but the impetuous prince released himself locking his mother in his room.</p><p>He had always been taught to be loyal to his family above anything. Was it really true? Did he really have slave blood in his veins? While on his way to the tigers cave Frederick forced himself to remember those years he lived with Vincent practically always beside him, he could still remember the fifteen years old boy that was giving tips on how to treat the crops, for the results of his first experiment he gained his freedom, but there had always been a sense of loneliness and pain in his eyes.</p><p>Frederick had felt extremely contradicted as that kid challenged his father and the counselors, even more as his mother brought him to his teachers and Vincent quickly learned in months what he had learned in years. He couldn’t deny he had always felt jealous, but now he could understand why that glint he had first saw in Vincent’s eyes had diminished. His loneliness and pain for being separated from the siblings he loved so much had diminished, because he had close by an aunt and a cousin.</p><p>Frederick stopped abruptly. Images of the night Frederick had intercepted Vincent coming back to the palace dressed as a commoner came to his mind. That night Vincent confided in him about his constant visits to check on his brother and sister, how painful it was for him to know his precious Isabelle had been taken to a cabaret. Now he felt like he understood why Vincent’s smiles towards the empress and himself were always so true, so sincere. What was the truth? The counselors had come to him many times to whisper deceits about the youngest counselor, somehow he could see his jealousy allowed those words to be carved in his heart.</p><p>He sincerely didn’t know what to think anymore.</p><p>While the prince was trying to decide what to do, Daroll was following the counselor that happened to eavesdrop on the conversation. He had been forbidden to interfere but it didn’t mean he couldn’t use whatever he heard of to convince Vincent to join him in his requiem. In dismay he heard the man tell-tale to the other eight old men about the empress. There were many hushed voices but soon enough they all agreed: it was too shameful to have an Empress born from an affair between a noble lady and a slave, even more shameful to have an Emperor sharing that blood.</p><p>It had not been their plan to eliminate the Empress or Prince Frederick, but now they would do it for the sake of a stainless crown.</p><p>Frederick stood imposing at the opening of the Tiger Cave, it was a grotto carved underground, where they kept white tigers practically always famished to execute those considered high criminals. The guards brought Vincent from the underground, beaten and also starving. They placed him at the edge of the opening and Frederick stood there impassive right in front of him.</p><p>Vincent looked at his cousin with pleading eyes. “Prince Frederick…” he called with a weaker voice, the guards had probably beaten him after Daroll left the chambers. “Please believe in me… I would never be able to hurt you or Emperor Markus… I could never betray you…”</p><p>The crown prince narrowed his eyes at the slave, trying not to reveal his inner struggle. There were the sincere eyes Frederick was sure would haunt him till his death. His mother’s confession replayed in his head, the times he felt himself slightly opening up to the younger guy and the conspirator way the counselors had always seem to have around him made Frederick decide.</p><p>It would be too suspicious if he suddenly decided to free Vincent, the slave would have to die, but maybe he could do something else for the other two kids, maybe send them away where they could really be free.</p><p>“I am not going to fall for your lies. Do not talk so easily about my mother and my father. For the sake of our family you would have to die.” Frederick spoke dully, but Vincent saw something strange in the slightly older young man. The way he said ‘our’ and not ‘mine’ made something jump inside of Vincent, that simple word made him believe Frederick had discovered the secret. Vincent felt the truth of those words. Maybe with him dead there could be a chance the Empress would be able to find and make his brother and sister live safely, there wouldn’t be a miracle to save his life, and he accepted his death by closing his eyes the moment Frederick pushed him down the hole and to the tigers.</p><p>While he was falling he opened his eyes again and for a moment saw Frederick and three counselors watching as his back hit the stone. His vision blackened slowly as he felt pain in his head and the dizziness that comes whenever he cuts himself and loses blood. He was dying.</p><p>He could hear the tigers growling and walking around, he felt strange they hadn’t jumped him yet, but then he felt pressure at the back of his head. He forced his eyes open but he couldn’t see a thing, the opening had been closed and so sunlight could not enter that grotto anymore.</p><p>“Vincent.” Daroll called, slightly demanding.</p><p>“I don’t want your deal.” Vincent spoke feeling his surrounding rotate. “I trust my aunt to find and take care of my siblings… I feel that Frederick finally knows about…” he coughed blood then. “I can die.” Somehow the human was resolute.</p><p>“Yes, Frederick knows. Lauren told him in a last attempt to save your life… but now not only Frederick knows, but the counselors as well. They are already plotting the death of the royal family and choosing among themselves the next Emperor,” Daroll spoke urgently knowing that Vincent’s life was running short. Too dangerously short. “If you really die here, they will all die after you, Lauren, Frederick, Victor and Isabelle. They’ll all be killed for the ambition and jealousy of nine wicked old men. Is that what you want?”</p><p>For a moment Daroll’s words sounded too far away. But the way Vincent’s heart started to pound painfully in his chest made the vampire smile, even more as Vincent loosely grabbed his arm. “They can’t…” Vincent struggled to say. “They can’t…” he repeated fearing it was too late to accept the deal. “Accept… I accept…”</p><p>It was not a second after those last words left his mouth he felt his whole body tense up. He suddenly felt safe, there was a strange nothingness around him but he felt safe. He felt weaker and the last thing he could remember was Daroll’s voice indeed very, very far away telling him to drink. Some strange liquid was poured onto his tongue and he drank not able to really taste what that thing was.</p><p>He couldn’t know how long it took but the next thing he knew his whole body was on fire, he wanted to scream but he couldn’t move. Slowly the burning ceased and his whole body felt numb. Only after that did he blacked out completely.</p><p>Vincent died on a cold winter afternoon. Sungmin was born on an even colder winter night.</p><p>He slowly opened his eyes, his throat was burning with a thirst he had never felt before. “And now I have a younger brother.” A voice greeted him and he sat up abruptly, feeling the stone under him. Everything was pitch black but he still could see things with an abnormal clarity. He was still at the Tiger’s Cave, the three tigers that had been supposed to eat him alive were surrounding him. The animals were growling but did not dare to attack, he knew then one of them was hurt because he could smell blood.</p><p>Slowly he looked at the man that had spoken to him and he recognized the other: Kim Chungyeol. “Trust me, kid, I know how crappy it feels after the first sleep but your new powers will be worth it,” He spoke again moving closer, but the action just made the newborn vampire hiss.</p><p>“We are not your enemies, you know you can trust us.” Daroll spoke then and he visibly relaxed. There was something strange, the other’s voice seemed to have a strange calming effect on him now.</p><p>He had a load of questions to ask, but he decided over a simple one. “How long have I been here?”</p><p>Daroll walked closer and crouched down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Just a few hours,” The vampire replied softly. “As a newborn vampire whenever the sun is up you’ll fall into a deep slumber, but without fail you’ll wake up after it sets. It’s night now and we can finally go out.” The newborn vampire frowned. He had seen Daroll and Chungyeol walking under the sun without any problem.</p><p>“It’s confusing. I know, but it’s ok, Sungminnie. Because you were embraced by a Dragon, the sun will not bother you that much in a few decades.” Chungyeol spoke then crouching down at his other side and petting his other shoulder. Vincent frowned even more.</p><p>“What did you call me? What does it mean embraced by a dragon?” he voiced out feeling lost and impatient because of his burning throat. “They didn’t do anything yet against Frederick or Empress Lauren, right?” he asked standing up in urgency, feeling he needed to save them quickly. It barely registered how fast his movement was, and the low growls coming from the tigers.</p><p>“First. It’s an endearment, a cute way to say Sungmin. Second. Dragon is you vampiric bloodline. Third. You still have plenty of time to save your human family.” Chungyeol answered sounding amused but one certain word caused Sungmin to stare at him and then at Daroll.</p><p>“B-bloodline?” he hesitantly asked then receiving a nod from Daroll.</p><p>“A Vampire Bloodline. It’s something like a caste, there are five bloodlines: the Devas, what humans used to call a succubus or incubus; the Moriaty, the vampires that control souls and ghosts, the Gangrel, the vampires that are able to shape-shift into different animals…”</p><p>"No! Not in that way! He's calling me brother! What is this vampiric bloodline?" Sungmin interrupted not wanting to know what kinds of vampires existed. Daroll understood where he wanted to get at.</p><p>"We like to see it this way. Half of the blood currently running through you is my blood. You've died as a human and got reborn as a vampire, so in a way you are my son." Daroll explained with a soft smile. "You, along with Chungyeol, are my progeny."</p><p>"Now since you're getting reborn here, you're going to be Sungmin." Chungyeol announced matter-of-factly.</p><p>Daroll sighed. "Elena is still Elena. Why change his name?" Daroll couldn’t understand this need to change the guy’s name.</p><p>"It’s ok." Sungmin suddenly spoke with a small voice. "I am really starting anew after saving my human family," he looked pointedly at Daroll then. "And after that my loyalty will be towards this new family. A new name will help me cut the ties that need be cut." His slightly dazed voice became firm as he spoke.</p><p>"Let’s avenge Vincent's death then, Sungmin. How do you want to do that?" Daroll asked already sounding proud.</p><p>"I want to kill the counselors one by one." Sungmin spoke with hatred, his mind already going over a plan, screw it if that made him as bad as them, he didn’t care anymore. He didn't want it to be fast, he wanted them to feel despair and pain. But killing them slowly could put in risk both Frederick and Empress Lauren. His mind worked at a fast pace and soon he had a rough idea of what to do. </p><p>"Who was the one that overheard the secret?" he questioned his sire then. </p><p>"I’ll take you to him." Daroll nodded and as soon as he spoke Chungyeol jumped up and grabbed a stone by the blocked entrance of the grotto with all the intention of opening their way out.</p><p>"Before you open that up, Chungyeol," Daroll called putting a hand on Sungmin’s shoulder. "The moment we're out you'll smell the blood of the nearby citizens, it will be painful and very distracting so I advise you to stop breathing for a while,” The sire spoke calmly causing Chungyeol to complement the instruction with an amused tone.</p><p>“Lesson number five: when you bite a human to feed you can induce said human to feel whatever, so if you want to torture those bastards you can just bite them and make them feel hell. But after that, whenever you feed be gentle." </p><p>Sungmin frowned at the whole explanations but did as he was advised, he didn’t want to get distracted. Without much thought, he tried ceasing his breathing not finding it difficult at all.</p><p>Chungyeol opened the grotto and then slipped out. Daroll kindly guided Sungmin to stand right below the entrance as he spoke again. “You can jump much higher than a human and with proper training you can find your limits, but this height should be an easy jump.” Sungmin nodded before jumping experimentally. He felt amazed at how high he went without putting much effort, he almost reached the entrance. He jumped again then with more conviction holding the entrance for support. Chungyeol extended him a hand as just a formality, a way to indicate he would always have the younger’s back. Sungmin took it with a second of hesitance.</p><p>Soon after the two of them got out of the way, Daroll jumped out and placed the stone back on its place of locking the grotto. The sad growls of the famished tigers still reached them even after that was done, Sungmin didn’t fail to notice. His hearing was so much better now. No human would be able to hear so much and so far.</p><p>“Now mind to tell us what your plan is?" Chungyeol broke the silence with a somewhat excited tone.</p><p>“I’ll show myself to one of the counselors, preferably the one that found out the secret. I hope that scaring the shit out of him would be a good first step. I’ll order them to leave Frederick and Empress Lauren alone, if not their deaths would be extra painful. There won’t be anyone spared though.” Sungmin explained shortly.</p><p>“Sounds like a plan. During the day you’ll be a dead log, but I promise you we’ll look after your prince and empress.” Chungyeol nodded.</p><p>“I still don’t know what happened with Isabelle and Victor. I need to find them tonight as well.” Sungmin said then with a sad worried look, but then the newborn vampire frowned at seeing the silly smirk painted in Chungyeol’s face and the caring smile in Daroll’s.</p><p>“They are safe, Sungmin, we already found them for you.” Daroll said placing a comforting hand at the younger’s shoulder.</p><p>“Sungjin had probably cooked the dinner and amazed my Elena and Jia with it, while Jinae spent the whole afternoon following Jia around and learning the tailor’s art.” Chungyeol complemented his sire’s explanation.</p><p>Sungmin smiled brightly at the implication of those words but shook his head nonetheless. “Sungjin?” he questioned with a curious and amused tone.</p><p>“Yeah like you both start with ‘V’ so I thought his name could start with ‘Sung’ too. Sungjin because he is not smarter than you but certainly knows where the truth is to become wiser.” Chungyeol explained liking the way Sungmin was no longer asking why he was giving them weird names from his homeland, but just going on with his whim. He liked people that learn fast like that.</p><p>The run towards the palace was an experiment. Sungmin liked how fast he could move, despite knowing many of the shortcuts and the secret passageways the possibility of moving through them that fast was just amazing. Daroll pointed at a certain door. "It was him, Counselor Joseth, that overheard the secret and made sure the other counselors would know it."</p><p>Sungmin narrowed his eyes at the door before speaking. "How fortunate for him. He had been the one I hated less. How long does it take for me to kill a human while feeding? I won’t turn them into a vampire if I do not kill him right?" he questioned. The possibility of turning the other into a vampire made him hesitant. Daroll shook his head. "You won't turn him into a vampire. I'll teach you how to do that in the future though I doubt you'll embrace anyone. I do not permit my progeny to embrace and create newborns. As for the killing while feeding you’ll know by your prey’s blood flow." the sire half explained causing Sungmin to feel slightly off. What about Jia and Elena then? He wanted to question but didn't.</p><p>"I’ll guard the halls for you." Chungyeol changed the subject and the other two vampires entered counselor Joseth's room. Daroll swiftly moved to the balcony while Sungmin moved to the sleeping man. 'I can make him feel whatever I want' he thought as he looked at the counselors wife. He kindly took hold of her and then sank his fangs at the soft skin of her neck. The taste was strangely rich, it made his throat hurt the same way wine did when he was alive. The woman in his hold started moaning loudly, calling her husband’s name in pure ecstasy, exactly the reaction Sungmin had been counting with.</p><p>The old man stirred in his sleep probably aroused by the sounds his wife was making. He sneaked a hand to touch her but other than touching the fine material of her gown, he touched the rough material of Sungmin’s shirt. Confused the old man opened his eyes to see what he had touched only to be horrified at meeting bloody red eyes of the supposed to be dead counselor. Joseth screamed for the guards but the newborn vampire also heard his sire whispering something like ‘lick the wound in the woman’. Sungmin quickly did as his sire ordered and then let go of the woman jumping on the terrified man right after. "Not happy to see me?" Sungmin mused showing the man his new fangs.</p><p>"Dead. You're dead!" the old man shrieked closing his eyes tightly but it just caused Sungmin to snort.</p><p>He grabbed the man by the neck and the pain inflicted caused Counselor Joseth to open his eyes and his mouth in vain attempt to breath. "Oh yeah I am dead. But not as dead as you would want me to be," the newborn vampire started with a dull tone. "And soon you and the other counselors will be as dead as I want you to be. Just let your stupid conspirator allies know I’ll kill them extra painfully if they dare do anything, and I say anything, against the Empress or our Crown Prince. The first three to die will be Vladimir, Adam and Brendon. Tell them I’m looking forward to meeting them tomorrow night." </p><p>The terrified look on the counselor’s face pleased Sungmin enough as he let go. Promptly the old man shouted again for the guards. This time one of the hall patrols heard the plea and rushed to the door. Sungmin knew Chungyeol would do something to the man, but he suddenly got a better idea. “Beg for help, you piece of shit. Let the guards come and let them know.” It was hint enough for Chungyeol to do nothing as the guard sounded an alarm.</p><p>Sungmin smirked and sank his teeth in Joseth’s neck. The taste was much different than his wife, good to his palate but as good as cheap wine could be. It was strange how he had been comparing blood to wine, maybe the color or maybe the fact that he liked so much to taste and drink wine. Different than the treatment he gave to the woman Sungmin made the man feel pain. Joseth was screaming each time louder than the first. He wanted the man to call not only the guards but the other counselors to wake up and know something was just not right.</p><p>Sungmin heard the guards much sooner than they arrived at the door. Counselor Joseth was lying on his bed with wide-open eyes whimpering from the pain he was mentally inflicted. The guards barged in ordering whoever was attacking the counselor to freeze, but the moment Sungmin turned to them with his bloody red eyes now practically glowing and his bloody fangs the guards froze in shock.</p><p>“If you execute an innocent, there’s a chance the hatred and the agony will lead said innocent soul to be corrupted, you know that? I’ve been cursed in my death because I died with such a strong will to avenge my blood. Tsk tsk. You can all call this the Vincent curse upon the real murderers of our beloved Emperor Markus.” Sungmin spoke with a pleased tone. He faintly heard Daroll ordering him to lick the wound on the man’s neck.</p><p>Once again Sungmin promptly obeyed making sure the guards would know and see what he was doing. Faster than those human eyes could see, though, he slipped out of the room through the balcony. Daroll whispered to him for them to go up so the two vampires jumped out of the balcony and up the roof.</p><p>Not long after Chungyeol had joined them. “Nice move you got there,” He said with slight sarcasm. “We are not supposed to reveal our existence to humans like that. We are not supposed to make the bloodsucker legends true.” Sungmin took the reprimanding words by looking slightly confused and then ashamed.</p><p>“I am sorry. But I thought that seeing me like that would help refrain the counselors from hurting Empress Lauren and Frederick." Sungmin replied looking at Daroll and seeking his share of disapproval.</p><p>“You’ll have your time to repent, as long as you stick to the ‘curse’ and ‘revenge’ plot we’ll be fine. If there are no other deaths than those of the counselors the human’s will believe your curse is over and you disappeared. Died once and for all.” Daroll said somehow trying to ease the situation.</p><p>“Can I reveal myself to Frederick? I need to make him know he is in danger. That the counselors are absolutely not to be trusted.” Sungmin asked for permission then.</p><p>Daroll shared a stare with Chungyeol. To the newborn vampire it seemed the two were mentally talking with each other. A minute passed before Daroll spoke. “Not tonight and only if we can trust he can keep the secret. This is our greatest law Sungmin, unless we are to embrace or turn the human into our slaves we can’t let them know the truth. ‘The herd must not know.’ If we break this law we are to be killed without mercy.” The sire explained softly, calmly. He was himself breaking that rule because he had revealed the secret to Lauren. But she was a whole case apart.</p><p>Sungmin nodded unsatisfied but knowing there must be a rule of some kind otherwise he was pretty sure the humans all would be vampire slaves by then. The three vampires lurked in the shadows listening to the outcome of Sungmin’s actions.</p><p>Joseth remained half unconscious till dawn, but the guards had been fast in spreading his words through the palace, even daring to wake the Prince and the Empress as well as the other counselors to admonish that Vincent’s ghost was seeking revenge and had appeared to Counselor Joseth, others said he had become a bloodsucker because of his hatred. The counselors laughed it off, but Frederick took those words seriously. He was already preparing himself for Vincent’s visit to his room to charge him of his death.</p><p>But none even paid attention to the way the Empress paled, but then smiled a very small smile. Daroll had somehow saved her Vincent. She was sure about that.</p><p>As time passed and the dawn was nearing, Sungmin started to feel sleepy. He said nothing of his discomfort but he needn’t say anything. Daroll and Chungyeol knew all about it. At a certain hour Daroll ordered Sungmin to follow them back to his house. They crossed the capital at a slower pace but still much faster than a human could and once at the house Sungmin was allowed a glance at his brother and sister, both were soundly asleep. He was taken to a hidden room at the basement where he slept for the whole of the next day.</p><p>As the night arrived Sungmin stirred from his forced slumber. He took in steady breathes allowing the different smells in the air to fill his lungs. The closest smell was something warm and sweet, something that was slightly similar to human blood but still different, there was a similar smell to that one not so far away and four other distinct smells, two slightly sweeter than the other more human smells. Further away he could smell more human blood. He felt his whole body tensing up and his throat started to hurt like he had never felt before.</p><p>“Cease your breathing if you feel it’s too much to handle.” A voice spoke next to him and it took a few seconds for Sungmin to recognize the voice.</p><p>“It always hurt this much?” Sungmin asked with a small voice and doing what he was told, the ache lessened but was still there.</p><p>“As a newborn you’ll feel the ache more often but as time passes you’ll be able to control your meals more regularly.” Daroll assured then. “Your siblings found out about your death. They still don’t know about the ghost from last night, though. But Victor tried his best not to cry while Isabelle cried for the both of them. She’s asleep right now but Victor is still awake. Maybe you should say goodbye to them after you’re done with the counselors.” His sire continued speaking with a soft and pained tone.</p><p>Sungmin turned to face his sire with an unreadable expression. They stared at each other for a while but then the newborn spoke just as softly. “I really do not understand you. But I am grateful for all you’ve done for me. If I really had listened to you maybe I could still be beside them.” After those words Sungmin looked elsewhere. “Do you know if…” he started not sure how to put his question.</p><p>But Daroll seemed to know what was going on in Sungmin’s head. “Counselor Joseth insisted with the other counselors about not doing anything, but they all tagged him as paranoid. I advised Empress Lauren to fasting as purification from her husband’s death, and force Frederick to do the same. For the day they did not eat anything. Much to the counselors disappointment because they had poisoned their food so they could get sick. Obviously Joseth was the only one against the plan.” The older vampire relayed the day’s event causing Sungmin to grit his teeth.</p><p>“They need more than words to believe. I hope three deaths will be enough to make them understand their situation.” The younger vampire almost snarled.</p><p>Daroll didn’t say anything to that, he just stood up and walked to the room’s door with a human pace. Only as he was opening the door did he speak again. “When Victor gets to sleep I’ll come pick you up. Refrain from breathing for now, but after we’re done with the night’s deal you should try getting used to the burn. You’ll need all your senses to be able to survive this world of darkness.” He left Sungmin thinking to himself, plotting his cold vengeance.</p><p>About an hour later Daroll was back. That night the two were the only ones heading to the palace, Chungyeol believed it was better for him to stay behind and guard the kids since they were still being targeted.</p><p>Sungmin was put on the lead, with Daroll following to make sure the younger would be able to know what to do on his own. They silently headed to the Counselor’s court and the first counselor to receive their visit was Adam, a rather young one compared to the others but still a good ten years older than Sungmin, he was a widow, his first wife had died along with his unborn child as she got severely sick. No wonder he was such a bitter man, but he would have no salvation.</p><p>Sungmin entered the room without holding any weapon, but his fingernails were now just as dangerous. The newborn vampire sat on the bed beside the sleeping man before digging his nails at the vulnerable skin of the other’s face. The sudden pain woke Adam up but the mere sight of Sungmin hanging above him made his face as white as paper.</p><p>“Hello there, Adam. I heard you did not believe Joseth’s words. You ruined my fun you know? I was expecting to get here to a restless counselor, not being able to sleep because of fear. You were sleeping just too peacefully. It’s not a good way to die,” Sungmin pouted. “But I know your death will grant me my wish with the other counselors.”</p><p>Before the man could retort anything, Sungmin had already bitten down at Adam’s neck, drinking his first share of the night, enjoying the anguished cries. Sungmin induced the man to cry for help, to cry for mercy, to beg to let him live. He was shouting and crying but didn’t move. On the other hand Sungmin was surprised at the taste in his mouth, it had some sort of similarity with Joseth’s but was still a distinct rich taste.</p><p>Once again the screams alerted the guards but before they arrived at the room Sungmin used his sharp nails to cut Adam’s throat staining the bed and the wall. The guards found the room cold, the dead body on the bed with unseeing open eyes.</p><p>Quickly Sungmin moved to his next stop, a room at the other side of the court where the screams were probably not heard. His next prey would be Brendon, the war counselor, a man that wanted wars but never was the one to hold a weapon to fight. As he had a wife Sungmin decided to torture her first. He rudely pulled the woman out of the bed taking a firm hold of her neck. A cry of panic and surprise slipped past her mouth waking up her husband.</p><p>“What?” the man had asked dumbly still asleep, but the moment his eyes focused at the scene of his wife struggling from being held in the air and forbidden to breathe silenced Brendon.</p><p>“Do you love your wife, Brendon?” Sungmin questioned delighted. “Call the guards and I will break her neck.” Sungmin said moving his gaze from the woman to the object of his vengeance.</p><p>Sungmin smiled at the panic written all over the other’s face, the man tried to sputter some words but nothing coherent came out. Sungmin shook his head. “No. No need to say anything. It’s pointless because you’ll die anyway. I’m just not sure if I should kill your wife or not. Now you know Empress Lauren is actually my aunt and I sincerely loved Emperor Markus as my uncle, but what did you do? You killed my uncle and left my aunt to mourn, even worse you tried to make her believe her own blood had betrayed her.” Sungmin looked back at the struggling human. He allowed her feet to touch the ground once again and pulled her close almost kissing her lips.</p><p>“No. I’ve decided,” Sungmin smirked then. “She’ll mourn her husband just as my aunt is mourning my uncle.” And saying that, he threw her against the wall almost hitting Brendon in the process. The man stood up and rushed to his wife. Yes he loved his wife.</p><p>“My aunt loved her husband so much,” Sungmin said and Brendon looked at the vampire again, with hatred in his eyes. “Hate won’t save you, Brendon. Call the guards now. It will take a while for them to get here because they are trying to understand how Adam was killed in his bed.”</p><p>Sungmin loved the horror stamped on the other’s face.</p><p>“We killed you once and we’ll kill you again! I may die today but someone will find a way to destroy you.” The man hissed.</p><p>“Let’s see them try.” Sungmin chuckled before closing the distance between them and unannounced sinking his fangs at the other’s neck. There was no scream this time, but it didn’t mean there was no pain. Brendon was forced to feel every bone of his being broken but him being unable to shout. Once again Sungmin felt surprised at the distinctness of the taste, maybe that similarity was because the victims were male, he couldn’t tell because he had only ever tasted one woman.</p><p>This time he drank almost all the blood in Brendon’s body but same as Adam he slashed the other’s throat and dumped the body on the floor. The wise thing to do was move to his next prey as fast as he could but once his eyes landed on the woman he couldn’t refrain himself. He pulled her unconscious form up and drank her blood as well, he didn’t take much just enough to study the taste, it was much different than the males, similar to Joseth’s wife a little but very distinct as well. Every human seemed to have a different taste. Sungmin felt tempted to taste all of them. Maybe he could. After all his bite doesn’t kill.</p><p>When he felt Daroll pulling him apart of his prey, Sungmin noticed he had entered in some kind of trance.</p><p>“What do you think you’re doing? You said you weren’t going to kill the wife, and you better only kill the counselors. I do not appreciate the death of innocents. You better not make me regret my choice of embracing you.” The sire warned causing something to break inside Sungmin. He was innocent and he was shamelessly killed. He wouldn’t allow other innocents to die if he could prevent it.</p><p>“I’m sorry. It’s just that their blood taste so different from one to the other I was just curious what his wife would taste like.” Sungmin answered thinking the difference in taste was just something he was not used to, but unknown to him those words left Daroll slightly nervous. Humans don’t taste that differently to him, there was just a small difference from the taste of male to female and children, also a difference in how pregnant women tasted, but that was it. Sungmin had sounded as if there were other kinds of differences he had never tasted.</p><p>They both shrugged the topic and moved to the last prey of the night. At Vladimir’s room the old counselor was discussing with his wife, their quarters were much closer to Adam’s and they had been awakened by the loud noise of the guards.</p><p>“No, please! You said so yourself that Joseth said you would be one of those to die. We should lock everything and hide!” his wife was shrieking but Vladimir was not really paying attention to her.</p><p>“Someone is just going too far with a joke! It’s probably the younger brother trying to scare us. We’ll catch him sooner or later.” The man was reasoning already sounding fed up with the conversation.</p><p>“You should listen more to your wife.” Sungmin spoke from where he was sitting at their bed and watching the two discussing by the door. The humans turned to him alarmed. Vladimir asked how the hell he got there while his wife started pleading for her man’s life. Such opposites.</p><p>“Empress Lauren didn’t want to have her husband killed, why should I listen to your request?” Sungmin decided to answer the woman. “Let’s not make things difficult.” He stood up at those words and walked in their direction. To his surprise the old man pushed his wife in his direction as a means of distracting the surreal being he was.</p><p>Sungmin caught her in his arms and without really thinking much sank his teeth at the vulnerable neck. Almost instantly the woman started moaning and the sounds made the fleeing man stop by the door and turn back. As abruptly as the moans started they ended and the next second the woman was falling on the floor unconscious while Sungmin jumped to prevent Vladimir to flee.</p><p>“The pride of a married man. The sounds your wife makes in bed shall never come from the touch of another man.” Sungmin smirked.</p><p>“How did you become a bloodsucker?” Vladimir spat, hatred very much visible in his eyes. “You were supposed to be tiger shit by now.”</p><p>Sungmin’s expression darkened. “How did I? That’s something for me to know and for you to be terrified about. Joseth gave my warning and you decided to ignore. I hope the other ‘counselors’ will be wiser than you were.” The newborn vampire spoke dully before sinking his teeth at the other’s neck.</p><p>Vladimir experienced another kind of pain, other than it being Sungmin falling at the tiger’s cave it was him. The pain of being half conscious with all bones broken from the fall and having the tigers eat the flesh with him still strangely alive. No sounds escaped the old man’s mouth though the pain was written on the other’s face.</p><p>The newborn vampire had been so focused on the feeding and the delectableness of yet a different taste of blood that he ignored the sounds around the room. Because all the time he had his breathing ceased and was still untrained to feel the movements around him, he didn’t notice the counselor’s wife had woken up much sooner than expected, had rushed for a dagger she had prepared ever since the gossips about Victor seeking vengeance fell on her ears. Sungmin even almost missed Daroll’s whisper to watch his back.</p><p>The woman had aimed his heart, but as he suddenly let go of his prey and took a step aside the dagger perforated his lung. It entered deep, it hurt like hell. He coughed blood expecting to feel like he was dying but there was just a huge pain and again a sudden thirst. The woman took the dagger out expecting to be able to stab a second time, but Sungmin was faster. He held her wrist with so much strength she had no option but to let go of the weapon.</p><p>He was breathing again. Many different smells reached his senses, his thirst multiplied and as instinctive reaction he was feeding on the woman again. Yet he had another sensation to add. He could feel the pain on the wound lessening, he could literally feel the accelerated healing taking place, much faster than a human pace but somehow still too painfully slow.</p><p>For a second time Daroll had to interfere to prevent Sungmin from drinking all the blood in the woman’s body.</p><p>“I thought I was immortal now.” Sungmin whispered trying to will the pain away and forcing himself to stop noticing those tempting scents.</p><p>“Through time you are immortal, in battle you are as mortal as a human, and you can be hurt just as easily. You still have too much to learn, Sungmin. But you have to keep in mind that one day the requiem could end.” Daroll replied helping his new progeny to stand.</p><p>“The rest of the night could be for classes about bloodsuckers then.” Sungmin retorted almost playfully, with a hint of a smile sincerely hoping he had not fallen from the other’s grace.</p><p>“Good thing you’re a fast learner,” Daroll smiled back. “The wound was grave it will take a few days to fully heal. Maybe tomorrow you should rest.” Daroll tried looking at the man on the floor. But Sungmin shook his head to those words.</p><p>“No. Three more tomorrow. I’ll just kill them without calling attention.” Sungmin said taking hold of the dagger and using it to slash Vladimir’s throat. The newborn used the blood to write the names of the other three who were going to die the next day: Eliot, Tristan and Andrei.</p><p>The moment the two vampires had reached the balcony to leave, there was a loud knock on the door. A guard was calling for Vladimir, checking if the counselor was alright and relaying the request for him to go to Counselor Gustav’s room for a sudden meeting.</p><p>Daroll whispered for Sungmin to climb on his back the moment the younger vampire blurted out a “He is a bit too dead to attend the request.” Sungmin knew then that he had acted too much on impulse by that, because he was in no condition to flee that fast like the previous night. He quickly did as his sire ordered and by the time the guards had forced the door open Daroll was almost reaching the roof.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Sungmin said as Daroll was not one bit gentle while carrying him. “I had never been very good with taming my tongue when I am angry. It didn’t change.”</p><p>Daroll sighed allowing Sungmin to stand on his own. “It had been one of your endearing characteristics but it’s not a very good one when you’re severally hurt. Tomorrow there will be more guards and it’ll be much more difficult to get in unnoticed, especially with your state. Tomorrow night you won’t come. Tomorrow you’ll have to train your senses to be able to fight. Having a human stab you like that was humiliating,” Sungmin didn’t miss the cold and disappointed edge to his sire’s words. “I’ve chosen you for the humanity in you. You can’t lose it.”</p><p>Sungmin decided not to protest, he merely nodded. They stayed on the roof for the rest of the night to allow Sungmin’s wound to heal the best it could before they headed back. They took the time for Daroll to tell him about the vampire society, about the kinds of vampire he would meet and the kind of vampire they were. Sungmin listened to the enumerations of rules and hierarchy, and understood why at one point Daroll stopped directly interfering and distanced himself. He made questions and Daroll patiently answered.</p><p>This time when the drowsiness started to show up he immediately told his sire, not in the least wanting to become ashes at his second day of requiem. The wound was still far from being well closed and it was still hurting like hell but he managed with a lot of help to get back at the basement and fall on his bed to sleep through the day.</p><p>The next night Daroll kept true to his words, not allowing Sungmin to head to the palace. They took him to a rather distant desert place where Sungmin started training his senses, training his breathing and the right way to use it to his advantage. He had noticed Daroll and Chungyeol had some sort of similarity in the smell but Chungyeol had something else a bit more.</p><p>“Can I drink blood from a vampire?” he asked suddenly while Daroll was inspecting his wound, now closed but still itching. Daroll frowned and looked at Chungyeol who was frowning too.</p><p>“Why do you ask that?” Chungyeol enquired raising an eyebrow at the younger.</p><p>Sungmin shrugged. “Do I smell like Daroll… ssi?” he asked trying to get used to their mannerisms from the southeast.</p><p>“No. Well, you smell like a kindred and surely after a while we’ll be able to differentiate your smell from other vampire’s but you don’t exactly smell like Dal.” Chungyeol replied but Daroll himself remained abnormally silent.</p><p>“I think Sungmin has a talent,” The sire spoke after a while, as his two progeny remained silent. “Chungyeol can sense the smells from a farther range than I can. Sungmin’s range seems to be shorter than mine but he can smell more.” The older vampire tried to explain.</p><p>“More?” Chungyeol asked not quite sure he had understood what his sire meant.</p><p>“I think I understand. You two need time to get used to the small details of a smell, but I can notice them much faster.” Sungmin tried to put that in words and Daroll nodded. A talent, but a dangerous one as the newborn would learn.</p><p>The next night Sungmin had been back to the palace, and just like Daroll had said there were much more guards at the counselors court. But still there were no guards for the balconies and the roofs to interfere in their plan.</p><p>That night Sungmin decided not to cease his breathing, he needed to get used with the amount of smells and how to use them to his favor and not see them as distraction. Elliot was the one to die first. Sungmin drank his blood and then slashed his throat with the dagger he got two nights before. He had kept it as a war souvenir. Elliot’s wife had been moved from the bed to the divã to save her from staining herself in blood or seeing her dead husband first thing the next morning. Tristan and Andrei died in the same modus operandi and their wives put somewhere else in the room. There were no messages left to announce who would die the next day. Joseth, Gustav and Nicolai would already know.</p><p>Before leaving the palace Sungmin felt the need to speak with Frederick. He knew both him and Empress Lauren were faking to be fasting, that Daroll had helped the empress prepare fruits and dried meat for them to eat because they didn’t trust the counselors. He wanted to talk with his cousin and help him choose better counselors. But he refrained from doing so. He felt he was not ready to face him yet.</p><p>His last night of vengeance came somehow too soon. After he woke up Sungmin kept lying on his bed breathing evenly and trying to engrave in his memory the smell of his siblings, they had the nicest smell of all. For them, for his human family he decided to act pretty much the same way he acted the night before, silently and fast. He decided to end the matter and cut the ties because at the back of his head he felt like not leaving, but staying there in the shadows taking care of his human bloodline. But he knew he couldn’t. He would have to leave with Daroll and cutting the ties faster was the best option.</p><p>For the last trip to the palace Chungyeol decided to tag along. The number of guards had been doubled and this time there were also guards inside the rooms. They were not only guarding the counselors but also the Empress and the Crown Prince, believing they would also be targeted.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol being more experienced in manipulating humans managed to silence the guards at the balconies and grant Sungmin access. Gustav had been the first victim of the night. Sungmin drank his blood but other than slashing his throat he had stabbed the other’s heart. He did that because sure they had conspired against the Emperor but it had been both Gustav and Nicolai who had come up with the master plan. Nicolai had been the second victim receiving pretty much the same treatment, he just got two stabs because Sungmin hated that old man that much. He had been the one saying Vincent and Empress Lauren were probably having an affair.</p><p>The last one to die had been the first one to hear from Sungmin. Differently from the others Joseth was not sleeping. He was awake, waiting for his death. The human looked intently at the vampire as he approached. “I had been waiting for you. Am I the first tonight?” the old man asked in a whispery voice, strangely calm.</p><p>“No. You’re the last.” Sungmin replied with an icy tone. Joseth nodded, he lowered himself to kiss his wife one last time before sitting straight and closing his eyes.</p><p>“I kept telling them we shouldn’t go as far as killing Emperor Markus. But they said I was too weak. Yet they all died first,” Joseth commented. “I had not been proud of his death. I had been jealous of you, of how you had surpassed all of us in such a short time, you’re a child still. I can’t deny I wanted you dead. I had been horrified when I heard the Empress was a bastard child, and with slave blood in her veins, Frederick was not worth becoming our Emperor. But…” he stopped talking, building courage to look at Sungmin once again. “Frederick had been rebellious when he was a child, but after you had been put to study with him he turned to be a model prince. Empress Lauren had always been flawless as a real lady. While you were killing the other counselors I saw what you saw, Vincent. And I repent ever being part of this dirt court. I’ll die in your hands knowing I deserve it.”</p><p>Sungmin listened those words emotionlessly. If Joseth was hoping that his heartfelt speech would have melted Sungmin’s heart he was deadly wrong. Maybe not so deadly.</p><p>“You shall seek Emperor Markus’ forgiveness,” Saying that Sungmin resumed his walk to the old man, who averted his eyes and quickly closed them. Sungmin took a soft hold of the man’s nape. “I am not called Vincent. My name now is Sungmin. The human kid you killed is really dead,” After saying that, he sank his fangs and fed his last portion of the night. Joseth had been expecting that pain from the first day, but he felt his whole body going numb, he could hear his blood flow lessening, his heart beat decreasing. And then he felt nothing. Joseth died without pain. Because he had repented his betrayal, Sungmin decided not to mark him as he had done with the others. He licked the wound and laid the man beside his wife. The humans could think Joseth died of natural causes, he wouldn’t mind.</p><p>As a last stop for the night Sungmin asked permission to talk with Frederick. He had words he needed to say, and he guessed his cousin also had words to tell him. Daroll nodded and Chungyeol patted his shoulder. Both proud for the way he had acted towards his last victim.</p><p>Strangely there were no guards at Frederick’s balcony so Chungyeol and Daroll decided they could give the two some more privacy.</p><p>Sungmin walked inside the fancy room and with soft steps approached the sleeping human. He sat on the bed and that was enough to wake Frederick up. The human had been startled but then he closed his eyes and spoke with a serious tone. “You finally came. I was wondering how much longer it would take for you to seek my head as well.”</p><p>The newborn didn’t really feel surprised with those words. “Have you ever hated me, Frederick?” he asked deciding not to comment on his cousin’s beliefs. The other felt surprised with the sudden question but he had always been taught a man should be honest in front of death.</p><p>“I had, Vincent. When my teachers kept on praising you, indirectly telling me to be more like you. I hated to be compared to a slave. I hated that my mother had been so open to you, that she would so quickly do whatever you said, I hated you the most because I could see my father was also becoming fond of you. I hated the fact I became fond of you. You were a great company, someone I knew I could trust. I had never ceased to be jealous of you. You’re younger yet most of the time you seemed to be so much better than me. I hated you when they told me you had poisoned my father, now I hate myself for believing that.” Frederick sat on his bed as he spoke his side, facing Sungmin’s back.</p><p>“I had hated you when I was still a slave. I hated every free man. But when Aunt Lauren told me that I shared her bloodline, things changed. She had secretly been helping my siblings and me even before I was taken to the palace. When I was first introduced to you I hated how you looked at me, as if I was worthless. But I grew fond of you as the family I knew we were. As I had devoted myself for Victor and Isabelle, I thought I could devote my counselor status for you and the Emperor.” Sungmin retorted being just as frank.</p><p>“I ordered your death in a moment of rage. You can’t imagine how I repent it. I know you won’t believe me, but I repented it even before actually killing you.” Frederick spoke after, his tone becoming watery.</p><p>“I know. I had never considered having your head for Vincent’s death.” Sungmin smiled sadly.</p><p>“How can you know?” Frederick snorted then. Vincent had always been that all knowing.</p><p>“You said ‘our’ family. You didn’t say ‘my’.” Sungmin stood up and looked down at his cousin. “You said ‘our’ as in ‘our wine tasting appointment every Wednesday and Friday. Do not forget.’ I couldn’t mistake the meaning. I knew then you had found out the secret. I knew then I would die for our family without regrets. But I couldn’t die knowing you were not the only one finding out the secret. I needed to kill those that had betrayed us. I needed to save my family.”</p><p>Once again Frederick looked startled at Sungmin. Because of one word Frederick was not completely aware of, the other was able to grasp the situation they were in. He had so much to tell his newfound cousin, but the words were not coming out.</p><p>“After tonight Vincent will completely disappear. I have just one small request…” Sungmin started after a moment of silence.</p><p>“I know,” Frederick interrupted him. “This afternoon, Counselor Joseth requested an audience, present were my mother, the captain of the guard and three nobles. He confessed his crimes against the crown and I proclaimed you innocent. You were executing your own justice so I also proclaimed that in respect for you death, Victor and Isabelle were to be taken to the palace and treated as if they were my siblings, though with minus the rights to access the crown. I’ll make sure they’ll have a royal life.” The crown Prince explained causing Sungmin to close his eyes and smile. He had been raised with the motto of never betraying his family, he was proud he lived it to the end and that his family would keep on living through it after his death.</p><p>“I trust you,” Sungmin declared then, helping Frederick up and pulling him into a hug. “I’ll miss our wine appointment,” He said then causing the prince to tighten his hold on the vampire. “Be safe my cousin,” Sungmin patted the other’s back before letting go and leaving through the balcony faster than Frederick could see. The human prince rushed to the balcony in hopes to find his cousin somewhere but the vampire along with Chungyeol had already gone back to the outskirts.</p><p>Daroll had been the only one left behind, because he still wanted to say his goodbyes to Lauren. So Frederick’s last request didn’t get lost in the night. The coven leader just didn’t know how to deal with it. He decided to talk with Lauren another night and made his way to his Prince’s court. He had a request to make and hopefully Andreas would allow it. The moment he had been allowed to the older vampire’s presence Daroll bowed.</p><p>“I take it the newborn vengeance is over and from what I heard this human kid they’ll crown as the new Emperor will think three times before selecting a new court of counselors. I had been offered a chair in it. Maybe you’ve done me a favor without really wanting to,” Andreas started not allowing Daroll to talk. “But I know for a fact you’re not here to say goodbye, even less to acquaintance me to your new progeny. What do you wish my permission for now?”</p><p>Daroll had to smile at how direct the Vampire Princes were. “Permission for us to keep on living here. My new child has roots too deep to cut so abruptly and it’s not really safe for him to travel while he is so vulnerable against the sun.”</p><p>“As long as ‘Sungmin’ doesn’t cause trouble I can allow that. When are you going to search for the Artisan again?” Andreas questioned sitting more comfortably in his armchair.</p><p>“Now only after Sungmin is able to master at least the first two tiers of Solacea. I really don’t want him to burn up so easily.” Daroll replied with an amiable smile.</p><p>“I’ll have Zoe and Natasha to keep an eye on you. Remember to take them with you when you go to the Artisan.” Andreas replied clearly dismissing Daroll who bowed once again and guaranteed that request would be granted. Daroll returned home with a lighter heart.</p><p>The next few days had been hectic in the human palace. The guards found the two siblings hiding in Daroll’s house because someone remembered the foreign tailor had once bought the girl. At first Victor and Isabelle were reluctant to leave, to believe the Crown Prince really wanted their well-being.</p><p>Frederick had ordered the kids to be allowed to stay where they were for a few days and at each and every of those days he went to visit them, either alone or with his mother. The two tried to convince the kids about the royal promises but only ‘Vincent’ had managed to make them trust their royal family again.</p><p>First Vincent appeared to Victor and assured his brother he could trust Frederick. The younger male protested saying the Crown Prince had killed him with his own hands but Sungmin told him what had happened at the tiger’s cave. Had told him the exact words they shared before he died and after it when the last counselors were killed.</p><p>“Victor, I entrusted you to Frederick. I trust him to protect you and I trust you to protect him. We are family and for it we have to live and die. Back then my death was the only path to take but you both can create new paths.” Sungmin spoke softly, almost pleadingly. Victor was not really up to forgive Frederick, but before he could never go against his older brother and now in front of this dream he found himself much weaker, so he accepted.</p><p>Isabelle had been much more difficult to convince. Both him and Victor had tried to make the girl open up. But she loved Vincent too much.</p><p>“Isabelle. Empress Lauren had always been a mother to you. Frederick wants to make up for the lost time. Allow him a chance to prove he can protect his family.” Sungmin had tried out.</p><p>“No!” the girl kept on crying. “He wants to take your place! But no-one can take your place!” she protested clinging to Vincent as if her life depended on it.</p><p>“He doesn’t want that. Isabelle, his heart it hurt and you can help heal it. If not for you, then accept him and help him for me. I loved him as much as I loved you and Victor. If I didn’t, do you think I would have found a way to save him and the Empress? I want my family united against the bad people in this country. If you love me, then please learn how to love him as well.” Sungmin held his baby sister close. For a moment she wanted to protest, but she loved him too much to not attend to his pleas. She loved Empress Lauren, so maybe she could come to love Frederick too.</p><p>Frederick took them to the palace and, at the day he was crowned Emperor, they were both beside him as First Prince and First Princess of the crown. Empress Lauren was crowned Mother Empress and her delicate previous crown was put in the royal treasure, awaiting the day Frederick would marry and a new Empress would reign beside him.</p><p>Two nights after Frederick was crowned Emperor, during a fighting training, Sungmin asked when they would leave and he couldn’t be happier to know they wouldn’t be leaving for a few years until he managed to master the ability to stand the sun during the morning and early evening.</p><p>A month passed in which he spent his nights training and feeding, learning how to stand the amount of different smells and being careful who to feed from. He had come to feed from at least five different people every night just for the sake of understanding what could possibly make the smells and taste similar yet distinct.</p><p>One of his conclusions was family bond. Members of the same family had a similar taste, becoming less similar as the members bond got weaker, brothers were more similar than cousins for example. He would be able to discover who had illegitimate children just by drinking blood around.</p><p>This conclusion made him think of his vampire family. Daroll had a very distinct smell, while Chungyeol had something of Daroll in his. The two blood dolls had a more ‘human’ scent but there was a strong hint of Chungyeol in them and that was what made them different than the other humans yet if he was just close enough Sungmin could swear he could also feel Daroll’s smell in them.</p><p>He found himself in a somehow uncomfortable situation. Whenever he felt a human had an interesting scent he could just go ahead and drink their blood, but Jia and Elena were not just any human, they were Chungyeol’s possession and Sungmin didn’t know if there was any rule forbidding him to feed from them and he was dying to taste them.</p><p>This strange need had led him - one night Chungyeol and Daroll had been called to Prince Andreas presence - to softly knock on Elena’s door.</p><p>He had been in some kind of good interaction with Jia because the human kept to his promise going to the palace almost every day to teach Isabelle the tailor’s art and also to make clothes for the Emperor and the Mother Empress. Sungmin had found himself talking for hours with the human as he tell-taled how his siblings were living without him. Therefore he had asked and Jia allowed him to take a very small taste of his blood. Elena was a whole different story, despite her treating him like family and him being thankful for that, he didn’t know where they stood around each other, because she would call him brother-in-law sometimes, but there was more of a mother attitude towards him. Yet that night he built enough courage to make the request and end this stupid curiosity he had for her blood.</p><p>Elena’s reply came only seconds later as her somehow still soft voice asked Sungmin to come in, already well aware of who was outside of course. Sungmin opened the door with just slight hesitance. Once inside and with the door closed behind him he looked at the female blood doll and asked with a soft voice as well “Elena, I have a request of you.”</p><p>The woman had been seated on the bed, casually knitting something that didn't have any form yet, but at his words she put the wool aside and moved over to the edge of her mattress, patting the open space next to her in a clear invite for him to sit down and speak. Sungmin took the seat beside her and asked before he chickened out. “I want to taste your blood.” There, said.</p><p>For a moment Elena's expression went blank but then she suddenly started smiling, which widened into a grin and then became a soft chuckle. "And why's that?" Sungmin scratched the back of his head before replying "Do you know what makes a good wine?"</p><p>Instead of replying, Elena huffed, made an offended face and then said: "Are you implying I'm old?"</p><p>It was Sungmin's turn to chuckle. "No I am not and that's a wrong answer," he offered her a smile as a peace offering.</p><p>Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Elena fake glared at the younger boy - because to her he was just a boy. "Get to the point, Sungmin."</p><p>The newborn vampire sighed to that. "I used to taste wine and I was quite good at it. Maybe that's why I have this extra sense of smell. Every kind of wine is different because of the amount of sun the grapes got while growing and the other crops planted around them. Humans and vampires are somehow like kinds of wine. I feel the need to understand why the tastes are so different. Did you know that from close by you smell a bit like Daroll?"</p><p>"One would think I'd smell like Chungyeol though. I spend enough time close to him for that at least," Elena replied with a slight smile, not going further in on the details however. "So how would tasting my blood help you with figuring out this stuff?"</p><p>Sungmin shook his head at the statement not the question. "It's not because you 'spend time' with. It's your blood. I know I haven't been a vampire for a long time, but I probably tasted half of this capital population by now, and I didn't taste a single taste that was exactly the same as the other. Yesterday I tasted Jia's blood, I want to compare yours."</p><p>"Yes, well, I'm living on Chungyeol's blood not Daroll's so it still surprises me," Elena replied much more gentle this time, reaching out and putting a hand on his upper thigh. "I can pass you a vial of my blood or something but you're going to have to convince Chungyeol first."</p><p>"That's exactly what I didn't really want to do," Sungmin replied sheepishly. "I'm not fully sure but I think it's something like a web. Jia had Daroll's smell too, and the taste enhanced it. Don't tell Chungyeol I drank Jia's blood. I swear I only took a drop. Well actually three." Sungmin cutely showed her three fingers and a silly smile.</p><p>To that Elena chuckled, reaching up then to pat Sungmin's head. "Sorry kiddo, if you want to taste my blood you'll have to go past Chungyeol."</p><p>“Jia did warn me I wouldn’t be lucky with you,” Sungmin sighed standing up. “I’ll keep on going with my experiments, there’s one thing I am sure about for humans: children taste like their parents and something else that is their own. Maybe that goes for vampires and blood dolls too. Chungyeol has something of Daroll in him, Jia has a bit of both it’s probably the same for you.”</p><p>Nodding once, Elena got up too when Sungmin did, only to then reach out and easily wrap her arms around his neck in a hug, pulling him to her and just holding him for a while, not saying anything in those moments. When she let go again, there was a small smile on her face. "Don't be a stranger, Sungmin."</p><p>Sungmin felt confused with those words and frowned at Elena. "How am I being a stranger?”</p><p>At that the woman pouted, resembling more of a younger sister at that moment than the however many centuries old blood doll. "You're being all friendly with Jia but you still treat me like I'm going to kill you if you speak too loud," she complained then. "We're going to be together for a long, long time, you should be nicer."</p><p>Sungmin smiled at that. "The only female presences I had in my life were my mother, Empress Lauren and Isabelle. I don't really know how to walk around you," the newborn confessed then.</p><p>"The same way you walk around guys, just that I might sneak a peek at your butt where they usually don't," she replied with a playful grin, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "If it makes it easier treat me like a sister. We're something like that after all. I'm your older sister who spoils you way too often."</p><p>Sungmin chuckled hearing her first comment. “Don’t let Chungyeol see you looking. I wouldn’t want to see the sun yet. I’m really not used to having an older sister but I’ll try to be more open. I need a sparring partner for the night. I know for a fact Jia won’t be it.” He then offered.</p><p>"Alrighty then. I love having good opportunities to poke some holes in you," the woman easily replied with a soft chuckle, carelessly throwing an arm around his shoulders and using her other hand to mess up his hair again. "Who knows, if you draw blood I might let you taste it," she added then in a teasing tone. "But I'm not going to take the blame when Chungyeol finds out.”</p><p>"I only need three drops. And I wouldn't want to let you be hurt when I can just lick the wound for it to heal." He shot her a cute innocent look.</p><p>"Ah but your tongue is getting nowhere near my skin, little one," she replied. "Besides, who says you're going to manage hurting me?"</p><p>"Maybe you'll get distracted with my butt. Is it 'noona' or 'unnie' I should use?" he questioned then not really remembering what Isabelle had told him so long ago.</p><p>Laughing lightly at his words, Elena leaned back a little to glance at Sungmin's behind. "Mhm, no, it's a nice butt but not nice enough to distract me from the fight, sorry," Grinning lightly she straightened up again then, patting his shoulder lightly. "And it's noona. Unnie is for girls to use."</p><p>That night when Daroll and Chungyeol came back home they found Jia heartily laughing at seeing Sungmin sprawled on the floor with Elena pointing her sword to his neck with a wide grin. The newborn was admitting defeat for the umpteenth time already. “One day I’ll win.” Sungmin had murmured good-naturedly with a small grin.</p><p>For thirty years they lived at Astaria in quite peace. But things changed a bit one evening. Sungmin had already mastered the first Solacea Tier and could stay up during early evening and early morning while the sun was very weak. They were at the forest to the south of the kingdom training both Sungmin’s, Jia’s and Elena’s sense of smell. They had all them separated each with a mission. Sungmin was supposed to find the blood dolls only by the trace of their smells; Jia and Elena were supposed to hide and if found be able to run or find the right moment to counter attack. Daroll and Chungyeol were the evaluators and the ones making sure they didn’t go too far.</p><p>At one point Sungmin lost track of the blood doll’s scent but sensed something else. Two smells he had never felt before. One was something like a mix of animal scent with human scent and the other was a strong animal scent with a very subtle hint of kindred. The youngest vampire felt extremely curious and unconsciously started running in the direction of the smells.</p><p>Somewhere on the way the faint scent of kindred vitae got stronger. Not only stronger but it was like he could feel it’s wetness in the air. It was definitely fresh blood. Whatever it was it had been hurt.</p><p>He was not expecting really when something was thrown in his direction and he barely had the thought to dodge. The thing hit him in the stomach and he was thrown behind with it. Only after he landed against a tree did he notice the thing was a small slender red wolf heavily bleeding. It was that animal that smelled like kindred and Sungmin could only be dumbfounded.</p><p>But then the other smell surrounded him and that’s when he saw it. Why he felt surprised? If vampires existed and he had became one of them, why not werewolves? There were five beast cautiously surrounding him, showing claws and canines in warning of what was to come.</p><p>Sungmin carefully placed the wolf he had been holding on the floor and hovered over it protectively. He hissed at the wolves and even managed a small smirk. He didn’t know if it was death he was going to find but he wouldn’t know if he didn’t try. One hand touched the ground while the other pulled out his sword. A simple iron double sword. There were no ornaments or inscriptions, but that had been his first sword and he cherished it.</p><p>The moment the first beast jumped to get him, Sungmin jumped behind and in a fluid movement took impulse on the tree and slashed the creature from above. When he landed on the ground again his opponent had a gash on the left arm. Those creatures seemed very much animalistic and he doubted they knew how to dance so he took position. While human he had mastered the swords dance, martial movements with a double sword that were not meant for battle but for entertainment. As a kindred he decided to make that his style of fighting.</p><p>The dance moves helped him dodge the ferocious attacks from the werewolves and more than once he had managed to slash the enemies. It was more dodging than actually fighting but he hoped to tire the beasts out. But if vampire did not get tired easily werewolves didn’t either and more than once Sungmin had been scratched and bitten. When he was cornered against a tree and hardly bitten at the shoulder his pained scream was accompanied by an almost silent ‘thud’.</p><p>When Sungmin opened his eyes and looked over the beast that was still biting at him and trying to tear off his arm, he saw Daroll standing not that far from where he was, but his sire was holding to a weapon he had never seen before: a black and silver-ish scythe with a brightly shining blue blade. The other werewolves focused on his sire and Sungmin tried to focus himself on getting rid of his attacker. With the hand he could still move he reached to his belt and took a small dagger he had always carried with him. He stabbed the beast at its side and it let go of him to howl in pain.</p><p>The newborn took the opportunity to get back one of his swords and attack. But the werewolf was already expecting the move and jumped behind. What it was not expecting was the awaiting blade of Daroll’s scythe. Sungmin had clearly seen the flash of blue passing through the werewolf from its shoulder and in a diagonal way to its hip, yet there was no visible blood, no visible wound. The beast fell on the ground lifeless. No more heartbeats were heard.</p><p>Sungmin looked perplexed to his sire that by then seemed to be surrounded by some spectral fog. The younger vampire had wanted to speak but the stern look on his sire’s face had silenced him up. “Why did you turn your back on your coven?” he asked and for a moment Sungmin feared he would be sent away.</p><p>“I didn’t… Strange smells... was just checking what it was…” Sungmin stuttered, if moments before while fighting, he hadn’t feared for his afterlife, now he was scared shitless.</p><p>“Never. Go check a strange smell alone again. Now you know this is how a werewolf smells, they are creatures you don’t want to fight with alone.” Daroll said with a cold tone.</p><p>Sungmin nodded having his eyes land at the smaller wounded wolf they had thrown at him earlier. No heartbeat, kindred smell, an animal. Sungmin looked at his sire then who was still holding on to the strange scythe. “They were after it. Why a wolf smells like a kindred?”</p><p>The question seemed to get Daroll by surprise because he turned to the unmoving wolf with wide eyes. “A gangrel?” he asked more to himself than to Sungmin. “Aesur, assara.” Daroll murmured and the strange blade disappeared allowing the newborn to recognize the delicately crafted cane Daroll would walk around with. An innocently harmless looking cane, Sungmin thought.</p><p>The sire walked over to the wolf and winced at the sight of the grave wounds. If it was not dead it was a miracle and it was a miracle, because the moment Daroll touched it on the head it winced and growled very weakly. “It’s ok. The werewolves are dead.” He said with a tender voice.</p><p>Gangrels were known to be wild vampires able to shape-shift into different animal forms and live in the wild like one, they would walk around more in their animal form than in human form as well as drink other animals blood than human’s. Their coven were really like a pack and a lone gangrel could not mean something good, either it betrayed the pack and was cast aside or its pack was exterminated and it was the only survivor. In either case the only thing to do was kill it, either for precaution or for pity.</p><p>Sungmin gathered his blades together and walked closer to his sire and the strange creature. “They threw it at me,” He commented as he crouched down beside his sire. At the sound of his voice the wolf opened its eyes and Sungmin felt out of breath. Its eyes were a vivid green something he had never seen before, and had never expected to see from a kindred. They shone like an emerald in the sun. “Are you ok?” he asked softly and it whined pitifully.</p><p>Wordlessly Daroll stood up and pulled his sword out. Sungmin looked confusedly at him, questioning with his eyes what he was going to do. The wolf looked at Daroll and it understood what the act meant, resigned it closed his eyes again and waited for the merciless final stab, too weak to still stand a fight. “It is resigned to die, Sungmin. A gangrel without a pack is something that shouldn’t exist.”</p><p>The newborn understood those words, it had lost its family but somehow that statement didn’t really make Sungmin accept what was to happen. He could imagine a tear falling from those closed eyes.</p><p>“Daroll, you killed the one that had embraced you. You killed your whole ‘family’ keeping only Chungyeol because he was yours. You’re creating for yourself a new ‘family’, you gave me a new ‘family’ to fight and care for, why can’t it do the same? Just because she’s a gangrel? I had felt her smell and through it I can tell it was not resigned to die. It was running away, trying to flee, trying not to be caught.” Sungmin didn’t know why he was defending someone he didn’t know, but didn’t it happen to him? Wasn’t him sent to death so his family could survive? Didn’t he accept to be embraced to save his family? Wasn’t him starting again? Why couldn’t it?</p><p>Daroll looked at him with a soft expression. “Sungmin…” he started but then stopped as the wolf in front of them slowly morphed to a human form. In front of them was lying a beautiful girl with short silver hair and a dark tanned skin, she was whining and wincing at the pain of the grave wounds, that now seemed to be even worse.</p><p>She opened her mouth to speak but no sounds came out, after the third try a pained growl escaped along with the word ‘live’. Chungyeol, Elena and Jia arrived there at that moment and stopped shortly after the three, unsure of what was happening. Now the girl smelled much more like a kindred.</p><p>“Need… live…” she managed to say between the dry sobs and hisses, she looked at Sungmin again but Sungmin was already looking at his sire.</p><p>“We can’t kill her just like that.” He practically pleaded and his expression made Daroll hesitate. A lone gangrel wanting to live could really not be a good sign.</p><p>Chungyeol suddenly turned around and then spoke in a whisper. “There are more werewolves coming. If we’re saving the chick we better do it now before they get too close.”</p><p>Daroll sighed. “If you can morph to the smaller animal you can.” He told the gangrel and without missing more than a second it started morphing into a small graceful red fox. With care Sungmin took it in his arms and the five of them were running at the top of their speed back to the city, they kind of doubted the werewolves would run after them till that far.</p><p>At home Sungmin took the red fox to his room at the basement because none of them could be sure of how old the gangrel was and how much she could stand the sun.</p><p>“Those wounds are too much… she needs a lot of blood.” Sungmin commented as he stroked the fox’s head where it was not hurt.</p><p>“You need blood yourself.” Chungyeol deadpanned. Moments later Elena and Jia were at the room with a woman’s change of cloth, clean towels and a bucket of water to help clean the fox up. “Elena will take care of her, for now go grab something to eat and, if you can, bring her something.” The older vampire ordered around. Daroll had put Chungyeol in command for a while as he immediately went to inform the Prince about the werewolves and the gangrel they had taken home. Fortunately the Prince would know more than him about what was going on.</p><p>Sungmin exited the room after a small bow Chungyeol’s way. He walked around the nearby properties knowing an old couple had some rabbits and that maybe he could borow them for a while. He took hold of the two biggest animals after he fed on the old couple’s daughter.</p><p>When he got back, Elena was still in the room with the gangrel but it was still in her red fox form. “Is she awake?” he asked softly, the blood doll did not look up but she nodded in reply at least, her eyes remaining on the red fox, a certain hint of distrust in her expression. Sungmin felt weary with her silence but still moved closer, only then he noticed the gangrel had been looking at the rabbits in his arms all the while.</p><p>“Please don’t kill them,” He asked softly and the grangel whined as if he had asked something impossible. But after a moment she morphed back into a human and Sungmin helped her hold the rabbit close to feed. Not trusting the other kindred, Sungmin kept a hand at the rabbit’s neck so he could feel the blood flow. It didn’t take long for him to force the gangrel away. “That’s enough for this one.” He said giving her the other and acting the same way.</p><p>“Thank you…” the female kindred managed to say after she stopped feeding. She was still too thirsty but they had done too much for her already, she decided to put all her efforts on healing because she knew there was more to be done. “Need talk… Prince Andreas.” She started to say but Sungmin hushed her to stop talking and just focus on getting better. She shook her head though. “Important… werewolves… expanding territory… danger…” she continued trying to explain what was coming. Sungmin felt a shiver run up his body.</p><p>He looked at Elena then. “Werewolves expanding territory?”</p><p>All he got in reply was a slight shrug of her shoulders as her eyes had narrowed at the gangrel throughout the process of her feeding from the rabbits. The redhead seemed even less willing to take her eyes off of the other woman now. "Go tell Chungyeol when he's finished." She had told him but suddenly there were sounds of many footsteps getting closer to the basement and the door opened. Daroll entered the room followed by Chungyeol and three of Andreas bodyguards: Ilvy, Jade and Shanti. If it was not Natasha and Zoe it couldn't mean anything good.</p><p>“Who are you, gangrel?” Ilvy spoke quickly. The female kindred not being one to pleasantries.</p><p>Said kindred looked at the new arrived people and replied. “Mishra… Red Fox.”</p><p>Shanti hissed. “Is it true then? How many werewolves?” she asked.</p><p>Mishra closed her eyes, willing her voice out. That was her mission. “Over fifty… from west… over forty from… south… united.”</p><p>“What about the gangrels living at those territories?” Ilvy asked fisting her hands. Mishra opened her eyes and frowned, her expression a crying one, she couldn’t say those words so she just shook her head closing her eyes again and lowering her head. They were probably all dead. Their leader had sent her to inform Andreas about the attack but if she just barely made it she doubted the twenty of them had been able to decrease the enemy number.</p><p>Sungmin felt another shiver run through his body when Jade asked the next question "They want the city?"</p><p>How could werewolves want the city? Sungmin asked himself, but to his dismay Mishra hesitated before nodding. "Not sure... small village to west... All dead." she had added.</p><p>That was enough for Ilvy to turn to Daroll with a serious tone. "Not knowing anything you went against precaution and saved a lone gangrel, because of that we got to know in time about how dangerously close those dogs were. Prince Andreas will be grateful if you would join your swords."</p><p>In reply Daroll nodded. "You'll have our silver weapons."</p><p>Ilvy smirked at the reply. "Let’s show those dogs where they belong," she nodded shortly at Chungyeol before turning back to Mishra. "Your mission is done." and after saying that all female kindreds left the room to go back to their master.</p><p>The silence was heavy in the room then, but Daroll had been the one to break it. "Do you believe you're the last one of you pack, Mishra?" the kind tone used had surprised the gangrel. She wanted to say no but her hope was just too small. "You’ve completed your mission." he echoed. "But if you managed to influence my progeny in hopes he would save you so you could complete it then he was right, you were not resigned to die. Are you now?" he questioned and Mishra remained silent, was she? Sungmin asked himself. </p><p>Mishra pondered the words, pondered the questions shot at her and replied. "Not yet..." she looked seriously at the faces in the room until her eyes stopped at Sungmin. "Only after... We win." she still had to fight. It was not because she had already given the message that she wouldn't fight, those bastards that had killed her sire and her coven. She would avenge them. Sungmin smiled a small smile.</p><p>Mishra morphed back into a red fox, because she was more comfortable like that. Elena kept taking care of her and Jia kept the two company. Sungmin was called to the studio Daroll kept for his human business.</p><p>"Sungmin, can you tell me why you protected her?" his sire questioned.</p><p>For a moment the newborn looked from him to Chungyeol and back. "Back at the forest when I felt the strange smell, I felt curious and followed them, when I got close by they threw her at me. They were five against one, against something that was trying to run away from them. When I saw them I thought it was not right, that they shouldn't be there and do such a thing. I could feel it was to kill them or be killed and I didn't want that. I felt like I should kill them and after they were dead I thought that I had saved the creature they had been chasing and I felt proud somehow."</p><p>At those words Chungyeol had to interrupt. "You did not kill any of them."</p><p>Sungmin puffed his cheeks. "Still felt proud. But when... You only implied you'd kill her I felt it was not right. What had she done wrong? Just because she exists she had to die? Somehow I could feel she didn't want to die so I just spoke up." Sungmin relayed, there was something in her eyes, in the way she was lying there all hurt and defenseless he couldn't put in words.</p><p>Daroll sighed. "I was right, when she looked in your eyes she desperately tried to take you to defend her, if she managed to make you feel compelled to protect her she's a master of manipulation or at least seduction. She probably seduces or commands her preys to obey." </p><p>Sungmin felt confused, he had been taught that they had some special powers they could train to easily lure and control humans, he had been taught a few but those powers could really work on other kindreds? </p><p>Chungyeol answered his silent question. “If you're really good at what you do then yes, you can influence other kindreds, but you'll have to be a master for that."</p><p>Sungmin wanted to feel betrayed by his own feelings yet just remembering how hurt Mishra was he decided he could live with the thought he had been used, but he vowed one day he would be at the other end. The one controlling strangers. Daroll was a master of lies, Chungyeol had followed in his footsteps, but was also making good use of his blessed looks, Sungmin wanted something for himself. He would master manipulation, it had been the essence of his success with emperor Markus, he had been able to manipulate the facts, but not the people, that's why he was killed.</p><p>The three of them kept talking about what had happened that evening, how Andreas had already been wary of the rising number of werewolves to the south and west and how he had been expecting them to become bold. The two older kindreds kept teaching Sungmin about how to kill werewolves and how they needed to get good silver swords for all of them.</p><p>Curious Sungmin asked innocently "Why don't you use that scythe? It worked just fine against them."</p><p>Daroll smiled kindly and Chungyeol patted his head. "Nobody should know about the scythe. It's too great a weapon to have strangers trying to steal it from me. The only ones to see me using that are our coven members and no one else." Sungmin couldn't say he didn't understand why. By the time they finished talking Sungmin remembered he had to take the rabbits back to their rightful place so he excused himself and left. On his way out Sungmin took home a stray cat. He stroked it all the way back home whispering he was sorry if Mishra was to be too hungry to be able to stop. </p><p>After the sun rose Sungmin started to feel asleep. It hadn't happened in a while but Chungyeol assured it was normal because he had been severely hurt and needed to sleep to heal faster. Indeed he had never been that hurt before and the moment he saw his bed he wanted nothing more but to throw himself at it.</p><p>Feeling the smell of the cat Mishra immediately looked up. Sungmin sat on the bed on the side he was not hurt and rested his back at the headrest. Mishra morphed to human form and got closer to feed. "Can I kill this one?" she asked with a thin voice but at least the trouble for her to speak lessened.</p><p>"If you could stop. They are food but we can stop ourselves from killing innocents, no?" he asked with a tentative smile.</p><p>Mishra looked at him in the eyes and gave back a smile to him. "Your coven is too kind. Be aware not to be too kind. Sometimes you have to kill."</p><p>"I made a vow not to kill what I feed from." Sungmin said shrugging, Mishra lowered down to the cat and fed. Sungmin smiled as he still felt the cat's heart beating.</p><p>"I am in debt with you and your coven, I will try to follow on your beliefs while under your roof," she told him before morphing back into a fox. Sleepily Sungmin put the cat on the floor before making himself comfortable in his bed. While he was already asleep Mishra also made herself comfortable lying half on top of him as a loyal pet sleeping with its master. Mishra fell asleep close to lunchtime and woke up about two hours later.</p><p>That day Chungyeol managed to convince Daroll to sleep as well so he could be at his best shape during the next days because they couldn't fully know when exactly the werewolves would attack. Chungyeol would sleep the next day if they had it as a peaceful one and fortunately they did.</p><p>Four days after meeting the werewolves for the first time, Sungmin had been already fully healed and Mishra was about to be, she needed about two more days. Because she had decided to follow the rules Daroll had established for his coven, she spent most of her time in human form, as well as most of Sungmin’s free time was spent in her company. The two of them together was not something Daroll was looking forward to but he decided not to forbid it, if they had found a companion in each other he wouldn’t be able to do anything to separate them then. But he really wouldn’t want Sungmin to get so involved with a gangrel.</p><p>Gangrels were rebels in nature, they refuse to follow on any of the antediluvian rules about hierarchy because the antediluvian gangrel did so. If kindreds were loyal to their sire and to some extent to the Princes, gangrels were loyal only to their selves or their packs. It was already shocking enough to know Andreas had an agreement with the gangrels living nearby and that they had actually kept to their words of warning danger arriving from the other side of the mountains. For Sungmin’s sake he wanted to trust Mishra but if he could hardly trust even other Dragons how could he trust the less trustworthy kindred clan?</p><p>That fight against the werewolves solved the matter for him. Chungyeol and other kindreds with enhanced range to notice smells were put in strategically set points to alert about the enemy’s approach. Those with the best fighting instance were put in guard. But Sungmin had given the idea, send a few kindred to flank the enemy at the battle.</p><p>Daroll’s coven was separated this way, each of them holding on to silver weapons, Daroll stayed at the front along with Chungyeol, Sungmin had been sent to the south and Mishra had followed him there. Jia not being a fighter had been placed at the back protected along with the other clueless humans but Elena insisted in fighting so she was also there beside Sungmin. In reality the blood doll was keeping an eye on both Sungmin and Mishra. A rotten apple ruins the others and Sungmin was the most vulnerable.</p><p>Chungyeol and the other’s in the same position announced when the werewolves were close by, it sent the kindreds to their positions up in the trees to fall on them from above. When they attacked the beasts, the wolves had been slightly surprised at the amount of enemies and they cursed that something in their plan failed.</p><p>Yet it was a full moon and the wolves had more strength. In a rough count, there were about forty werewolves there. And everything had seemed a lost cause for a moment. Daroll and Chungyeol had found themselves in the middle of the battlefield, they divided their attention into slashing those dogs and protecting each other, slowly making their way to the south in hopes of finding Elena and Sungmin.</p><p>Slowly they managed to get there and see Sungmin slashing the back of a werewolf that had been trying to bite at Elena. Mishra took the chance to bite at the beast’s neck, she was once again in wolf form. Chungyeol planted himself beside Elena then and the two started to fight together. Daroll moved to protect Sungmin and the newborn smiled gratefully at seeing the two there with them.</p><p>At one point Mishra howled loudly and morphed into a red fox, Sungmin noticed her smell changing and looked for the kindred, only to notice three werewolves had moved to chase her as she ran in the opposite direction of the battle field. “Mishra!” he shouted over the battle sounds and ran to her aid. The werewolves that had been fighting him didn’t like to see him fleeing so they also ran after him.</p><p>It had been a unanimous thought; Elena and Chungyeol couldn't stop the growl that started deep in their chest the moment they saw the tides turn as the red fox ran off. And when in no time Sungmin went after it - which was predictable – the growl turned into a snarl that even Daroll let out. The younger kindred was putting not only himself but also all of them in danger. Nevertheless Daroll, Chungyeol and Elena followed them having their respective foes running after them as well.</p><p>Based on his sense of smell Sungmin noticed the chain and also noticed no other vampire had followed. It made him remember something Daroll had said nights before and he smirked. They had moved quite far from where the biggest portion of fight was happening and upon noticing Mishra had jumped up a tree to try to escape the werewolves Sungmin shouted. “Daroll hyung! The scythe! We are the only ones here!”</p><p>The oldest kindred among them jumped up a tree and grabbed the cane he had taken along as he always did. “Aesur, airith!” he said and the spectral blade appeared glowing in a vivid blue color. Daroll jumped back down and with grace started to eliminate the closest werewolves. Mishra jumped and dodged the closest werewolves to be able to get at the one that had made Sungmin lose one of his swords. The gangrel bit at its neck from behind allowing Sungmin to get his sword back. With two slashes the werewolf fell on his knees and Mishra jumped away at the exact moment Sungmin’s sword cut the beasts’ head.</p><p>When Sungmin looked up there was a werewolf cornering Elena and another one cornering Chungyeol but they were so focused on the foe in front of them and the lack of smell of werewolf blood in the air that they didn’t even turn to look as Daroll approached and ended their lives. When all werewolves were dead Mishra turned back into a human and hugged Sungmin, who didn’t look back because his eyes were locked with Daroll’s. “I was right. You care so much for each other. I am glad the plan worked and I am glad you understood me, Sungmin.” She spoke up with a happy satisfied tone.</p><p>When she turned to the other members of the coven she was still smiling and mindlessly continued. “I’ll go back and lure more to this place. In a full moon the wolves are stronger but much less smart.” But her smile diminished as she noticed the three of them were not at all pleased.</p><p>Elena didn't speak up as the girl looked around but her face was set on thunder and she merely turned her eyes away from the girl to focus them on Chungyeol, allowing him to decide for the both of them. The Second oldest had a very similar expression than his blood doll but he also said nothing. Daroll had been looking at Sungmin not at her and Mishra understood they disapproved of her actions, regardless of the fact that it might have been a good plan. They still disapproved of the way they had done it.</p><p>“Sungmin, I thought you had understood werewolves are not to be played at. I know this was not your plan, and it was a good thing you did understand her intentions but it put all of us in danger.” Daroll spoke with a cold tone and Sungmin lowered his head. Mishra looked from one to the other and her happiness disappeared. Daroll’s piercing stare fell on her then. “And you, gangrel, how do you dare gamble with me and my coven? What if Sungmin hadn’t followed you? We value each other more than other kindreds value their coven members but the fact that we trust so much each other doesn’t allow you to play with it the way you did. We fight and we stand together. If you had wanted something like this to happen you could have spoken up, we could have planned it up together.” His tone became lethal.</p><p>Mishra let go of Sungmin. “I’m sorry… I hadn’t planned it beforehand… It actually came to me when I saw you two were suddenly there protecting both Elena and Sungmin… I was not gambling… I just trusted you would stand for your belief of staying together… I’m sorry.” She lowered her head. Her tone had been humble but she could feel displease in the air, it was almost palpable.</p><p>Elena huffed lightly at the girl’s words, finally speaking up then for the first time. "Whatever, there's more dogs out there and I think we can all kill off some steam." Her eyes hadn't gone back to the gangrel after looking away, but stayed on Chungyeol the whole time, a small smile now appearing on her face at the thought of the battle. Chungyeol looked shortly at Elena and then at Daroll. He decided not to speak in that moment and only observe.</p><p>Sungmin had a confused and sad expression, some sense of fear in it. He was too young to understand why gangrels are so hated among the kindreds and Chungyeol could guess what was actually scaring the newborn. Daroll also knew. Sungmin had seen how to other covens their members could be disposable; he had in less than a week committed two grave mistakes and was afraid he had lost his sire’s trust. Daroll knew that the first time he saw that helplessness in the younger’s eyes and somehow it pained him to see that again. Yet he knew that was not time to be talking about mistakes.</p><p>“Chungyeol, can you smell the main battle?” Daroll asked then and said vampire looked at the direction they came from. “Yes. Almost faint but too much blood had been shed,” Suddenly he looked at the other side. “Shit!” he cursed. “There’s more coming!” all of them looked at where he was looking. “There’s more werewolf blood in the air. And the gangrel said they were close to ninety werewolves. They had left back up behind, those bastards.”</p><p>“That number must have decreased. The gangrels wouldn’t die without bringing a few with them,” Mishra spoke then wanting to feel some pride. “They were around forty back there I don’t think there’s much coming ahead.”</p><p>“She’s right, we are the only ones in between the two groups. If we manage to eliminate them here nobody would know.” Sungmin spoke then, voice void of emotions only thinking in the situation.</p><p>“We are just five.” Chungyeol grumbled. But Daroll shook his head. “We are six. We might be able to do it with Aesur on our side. And I assure you he is on our side.” The sire spoke confidently. He glanced at Sungmin who was looking back at him gratefully. The newborn was not just fighting because of the kindred pride but also to protect the land his human family still lived in, Frederick’s hometown wouldn’t be safe if they failed there.</p><p>“Spread. Let’s try to bring them down. And hopefully they won’t be in too great a number.” Daroll ordered. Sungmin and Mishra moved to the east letting some distance in between them while Chungyeol and Elena went to the west covering about the same distance to that side. Daroll stood in between. His blade shone even more brightly and the same fog Sungmin had seen before started to form. Could it be that the scythe was actually a living thing? Sungmin made a mental note to ask that later to clarify the ‘six’ Daroll had mentioned before.</p><p>Yet he didn’t have that much time to think. Soon his senses were invaded by a load of different yet similar smells. He started to count as fast as he could, praying his senses were accurate. “They are twenty-one!” Sungmin warned before taking position. He crouched, stretched one leg to the front while his arms were wide open.</p><p>Nine deep breaths later Mishra growled to announce her presence to the enemy right as they became visible. Daroll couldn’t tell if it was because of that or just because of her smell but the greater number of werewolves was to the east side. Sungmin and the gangrel jumped ahead at the first enemies. The only thought in their head was be a distraction so they wouldn’t pay attention to the scythe.</p><p>There were seven werewolves fighting Elena and Chungyeol. Daroll just had to glance at them to see they would be able to bring all of them down without his help so he focused his attention on the three that decided to bring him down and the other eleven that had surrounded Sungmin and Mishra.</p><p>Daroll avoided the bites and the scratches aimed at him by the first werewolf to get close and with fluid motion allowed his scythe to cut through his enemies’ souls or whatever existed inside a werewolf’s body. The other two werewolves stopped shortly at seeing the first fall dead on the ground, they howled lowly trying to understand how come there was no blood yet their friend was unmoving on the ground dead. Daroll smirked at their confused instance and attacked.</p><p>The two werewolves dodged the best they could, yet one of them was not fast enough and the blade passed through its arm. The third werewolf was speechless at seeing that one too fall on the ground dead. What the hell was that blade? Daroll advanced to him but it became even more careful of the blade, twice it tried to attack but the two times it took a step back in the last minute because Daroll would use the blade as a shield.</p><p>For a moment they seemed to be dancing, walking around each other expecting the best opportunity to attack. Daroll had felt the approach of the werewolf coming from behind but he faked not to notice, to just fix his gaze on the opponent in front of him. The two werewolves became confident, but at a sudden move Daroll took a step behind and without moving his body used the simpler edge of the scythe as a spear and perforated the werewolf behind him.</p><p>The first werewolf was left speechless again as he saw another of his pack members fall dead over apparently nothing. In a fluid movement Daroll twirled the scythe in his hand, the main blade was now on his back and the simpler edge was facing his enemy. That was when the werewolf noticed there was no pommel in that scythe, but a long thin blade made of the same material of the main blade. It was a double-edged weapon.</p><p>Daroll advanced then using the scythe as a spear one more time, the werewolf dodged to the left exactly as the elder kindred was expecting. In another fluid move Daroll twirled the scythe around his waist and the main blade passed through his enemy in an unexpected move while it was dodging the first fake attack. It fell dead afterwards. Four down.</p><p>He turned to the east then. Through the small gaps between the bodies separating him from his younger progeny he could see Sungmin was dodging much more than attacking, yet whenever the swords hit the enemy the gash was deep and the werewolf howled in deep pain, the mere contact with the silver of their weapons already making the beast more cautious.</p><p>Sungmin kept on dancing, trying to find the best spots to attack, trying to adjust to the best moves not to tire himself and get those monsters to fall dead. Close by Mishra was biting and clawing at the werewolves on the right spots but because she had not been fully recovered her movements most of the time were too slow. She was already deeply hurt.</p><p>There were just five werewolves standing at their side of the field. Daroll looked behind shortly and saw Elena decapitating a werewolf while Chungyeol was cutting the arm of another out, four dead the other three moving around to get the perfect angle to attack, but either Elena was there to protect Chungyeol’s back or Chungyeol was there protecting Elena’s.</p><p>When he turned back to Sungmin he was horrified to see his youngest progeny stabbing a werewolf on its back, the beast had been biting down at Mishra’s neck and the gangrel was apparently already dead. Four other werewolves were about to jump Sungmin but he let go of his sword at the right time to duck and roll behind not allowing them to get him. Quickly Sungmin jumped at a tree cussing at the werewolves and urging them to go after him.</p><p>Sungmin managed to dodge and gravely hurt the first werewolf to get close, but the second managed to scratch him on the face. Daroll ran to his aid using Aesur against the beats. When his presence was felt nearby the two other werewolves turned to him. It seemed they had seen how Daroll had killed the other ones because they were very alert to the scythe. With it being just one on one Sungmin managed to slash his enemy on the arms as he dodged the other’s attack. It was just for one or two seconds the werewolf looked at where Daroll was easily killing its pack’s members that Sungmin craved his sword in the beast’s chest, right at where the trachea was supposed to be in a human. The beast coughed blood and then fell on its knee.</p><p>Quickly Sungmin tried to retrieve his lost sword but a claw connected with his face again and he was thrown at a tree leaving on it a deep dent. Where that werewolf had come from? Daroll looked over at the sound of Sungmin crashing against the tree.</p><p>There was only one werewolf left, only one that had managed to pin Sungmin to the ground, he was already biting down at the newborn’s neck with all the intention of tearing the head off when a blur of red fur jumped on its back and bit on its neck.</p><p>The werewolf let go of Sungmin and growled probably more of annoyance than actually pain because the moment it stood up to reach and grab the fox on its back, Mishra fell on the floor with a whine. She had still managed to stand and try to jump away from the werewolf but it had been much faster than her vacillating movements. It took hold of Mishra and threw her at a nearby tree. “M-Mishra!” Sungmin called in a raspy pained scream. The gangrel still managed to stand up one more time but as she tried to take a step she fell down in a soft ‘thud’. The moment the werewolf stood deciding who to attack, the fox-vampire or the newborn vampire, Daroll ended its life.</p><p>Sungmin took three pained deep breaths and another saddened whispery call of Mishra’s name left his mouth. Daroll looked behind to see Chungyeol finishing off the last werewolf to their side and Elena already running to them. Daroll took hold of Sungmin then, ordering Aesur to sleep again. The blade disappeared as he gave the cane to Elena.</p><p>With the cane in her right hand, Elena made her way over to the gangrel, going down on one knee next to her to see if she was still alive and whether there was still a chance of saving her. The moment she saw the little creature, however, she instantly held the cane in a better way to unclasp her sword and use it to cut her left wrist, tearing the skin of her lower arm and reaching it out to let the blood drip into the red fox's mouth. She kept her strong grip on the cane, knowing how important it was and that she couldn't lose it, but pretty much all of her attention was on the little fox then, and on trying to give it enough blood to live.</p><p>To say that Daroll and Chungyeol had been surprised with her actions was an understatement yet none of them moved to stop the blood doll from doing so. Chungyeol watched the blood falling, counting Elena’s heartbeats to decide when it was enough. Daroll watched seemingly emotionlessly, waiting for Chungyeol to take action, after all Elena was his blood doll. The youngest kindred held on to his sire gritting his teeth and willing his body to heal, to have the pain stop, hoping Mishra was just doing the same and thanking Elena in his head for the action.</p><p>Nobody spoke. The seconds tickled yet the world had seemed to stop turning as the silence lingered. Sungmin felt extremely thirsty and dizzy, the delicatessen that was Elena’s blood made him cling to Daroll even more as he willed himself to stop breathing. His head was hurting and the pain on his neck was just too much.</p><p>Suddenly there was movement again and Chungyeol approached Elena, gently taking her wounded arm in his. “That’s enough.” His tone had been just a little bit harsh as he lowered himself and licked the gash for it to heal. He pulled Elena into a half hug as he let his gaze fall over the gangrel. The wounds were just as deep as the first time they met her but this time it just felt they were even worse, maybe because they had lived with her under their roof for about a week. Knowing the one that was almost dead was different than looking at a complete stranger.</p><p>“Chungyeol can you still smell the battle up ahead?” Daroll questioned softly.</p><p>Said kindred stood up and took a deep breath. “It’s ending or probably over. We had many experienced vampires protecting the city.” the younger relayed with a strangely sad tone.</p><p>Daroll nodded absently minded. “Please go check. But even if they are still fighting come back here. We’ll wait till it’s fully over to get back. Sungmin needs to rest.” Chungyeol bowed shortly to his sire and left running back to the original battlefield. Elena remained behind as Chungyeol had silently asked her to, with a glance her way.</p><p>“Mishra.” Sungmin mumbled managing to look at the heap of red fur to the right. It was clear Sungmin wanted to hold on to the body, but not only his neck had been badly bitten, his legs had also been broken and he could hardly stand the pain. She had saved his afterlife as he had saved hers. Or at least he had tried. Daroll had no other option but to accept the two had created between them some kind of connection, so slightly contradicted Daroll helped Sungmin to where Mishra was.</p><p>With care the youngest vampire took hold of the badly beaten up red fox. “Mishra.” He called again, nothing but a very small whisper. To their surprise the red fox slowly moved its head in Sungmin’s direction. Despite his body being in extreme pain the newborn smiled as his eyes looked back at Mishra’s green ones.</p><p>“You both have to rest.” Daroll spoke softly as he helped Sungmin sit against the tree and then helped Mishra to stay comfortable lying on the youngest lap. Elena was crouched down next to them just silently observing and listening for Chungyeol’s arrival.</p><p>He came back a few minutes later. “The battle is over. All werewolves are dead and few newborns died. Most of the older vampires had already gone back to the city, others are cleaning up the dead bodies.” After saying that he pulled out his sword. “I told them we ended up a bit away and intercepted a small batch of werewolves, they’ll come clean up as well.”</p><p>And after saying that, he moved away inspecting every dead werewolf and slashing on the ones that had only faced Daroll’s scythe. Chungyeol felt slightly satisfied to see that Mishra had bitten badly around seven of the opponents and that Sungmin had actually managed to kill two. They could have done better if it was not eleven against two.</p><p>When the procedure was done he got back to where his coven was resting. “We should head back now,” he said looking directly at Daroll who nodded.</p><p>“We should. Take Mishra.” The sire ordered and Chungyeol moved to pick up the red fox. It tensed up and Sungmin felt it, he looked at the older vampire wanting to ask him to be careful, but Chungyeol didn’t even bother to look at him. He took the red fox with delicate moves, he rested her against his chest in a protective way to pass to the gangrel she was safe.</p><p>When he looked up at Elena he could see she had mixed feelings about the situation. Part of her didn't want to see him treat the fox so carefully all of a sudden, the other part was the one that had done exactly the same. Because of this inner turmoil, she didn't say anything but merely moved along with the group.</p><p>Sungmin smiled at his ‘older brother’ before Daroll passed an arm around his waist and the other hooked under his knees. He stood up and Sungmin slightly reluctantly took hold of his sire’s neck, trying to find a position his badly bitten neck wouldn’t hurt so much. “So embarrassing.” Sungmin mumbled as they went back home walking at a slow pace not to hurt any of them further. The next time he would face such a great battle he would make sure to be walking just as unharmed as his progenitor and his hyung.</p><p>Jia didn’t really like the idea of being left behind, but knowing he was not a fighter he could understand. If it had been just his coven he would have been there, holding on to a sword and helping kick some werewolf ass, but with other vampires fighting along, Chungyeol would never allow. It was one thing to have his back protected by a coven member and another to have strange vampires who could easily let him die or feast on his blood. One could protest Elena was a blood doll as well but she had led an army, despite him being older she had far more fighting experience.</p><p>He couldn’t deny he was apprehensive. Just like Chungyeol, Elena and Daroll, Jia had difficulty in accepting Mishra inside the house and didn’t really know how to face the way she was getting so close to Sungmin. Yet a bit like Elena he didn’t have anything against her just because she was a gangrel. It was a first to see the way Daroll and Chungyeol actually treated her. They were cautious in front of other vampires but with the gangrel they were to some point openly hostile.</p><p>After his coven members had left for the battle, he kept himself at the back yard of their house awaiting for their return, hopping they would all come back safely. He was managing well his nerves while the air was not so sweet but the moment the vampires were returning from the battle, he could feel them moving rather than actually seeing them, Jia stood up and looked even more apprehensively to the woods nearby their house, hoping to quickly see familiar faces approaching him. Yet he felt weary when the first familiar face was not exactly one he had wanted to see.</p><p>Zoe approached him with a very serious expression. “What happened?” he questioned trying to sound neutral but he was sure he had failed miserably.</p><p>“Daroll and Chungyeol had been fighting in the front lines with me but suddenly when I noticed they were not there anymore. I heard some talk they had gone to where Sungmin and Elena were but I haven’t heard from any of them yet. The battle is practically over though.” She told him in a monotone tone and then left after a short nod. Jia felt his heart beating at an erratic speed. She had basically told him they suspected his coven members had deserted the fight and could be easily pointed as traitors. Those were extremely not good news.</p><p>He started to pace from one end to the other of the veranda. He pushed the thought of them deserting the battle away. If they had decided to run away just like that, they wouldn’t have left him behind. They would come back soon. He was sure of it. He had started to calm down at mentally chanting those words when another familiar smell came to him. He looked up and indeed there was Natasha coming to him. This time she had an amicable smile on her lips.</p><p>“Child, the fight is over, we have some of ours cleaning up. I hope Daroll and Chungyeol had already killed that gangrel though.” She told him as she made herself comfortable on a chair.</p><p>Jia frowned at the mention of Mishra. He had overheard Daroll and Chungyeol talking about how to tell Sungmin they would kill Mishra after the fight was over. Lone Gangrels were not supposed to be. “Why it is so necessary to kill her? What’s so bad about being a gangrel?” he asked softly, not really understanding the immense prejudice the vampires had among themselves.</p><p>“If not because she’s a lone gangrel then because she tried to desert.” Natasha said matter-of-factly and Jia did the only thing he was supposed to. He shut up. First Zoe had had implied his coven had deserted; now Natasha was only implying it was Mishra. More than ever he wished they were back home already.</p><p>The vampire and the blood doll remained silent even after the sweet smell in the air diminished to a normal content. Jia was getting even more edgy as time passed but his heart stopped for a second once he felt the smell increasing again. The smell he had been waiting for. Yet he got another surprise.</p><p>His eyes first landed on Chungyeol who was bringing Mishra back in his arms, holding the gangrel in a very protective way. Then his eyes moved to Elena who had a troubled expression. He noticed the blood doll had been holding her sword, Daroll’s cane as well as Sungmin’s weapons and she was too pale for his comfort zone. Only then did his eyes move to Daroll who was carrying in his arms a heavily hurt Sungmin.</p><p>Jia found himself rushing to open the door and clean up the way to the basement where Sungmin had his room. He impatiently waited for the others to get there. The first to arrive was Chungyeol with Mishra, but he didn’t put her on the bed, he stood aside and allowed Daroll to first place Sungmin there. Only after Sungmin was comfortable did Chungyeol lay Mishra beside the newborn.</p><p>“What is this supposed to mean?” Natasha asked with an arrogant voice.</p><p>“Jia, Sungmin needs blood.” Chungyeol said in a soft voice and said blood doll rushed to Sungmin’s side.</p><p>He held the youngest vampire’s head and put his wrist over his lips. “Min, you heard. It’s ok, drink my blood.” Jia urged with a worried but soft voice.</p><p>Sungmin moved his lips at the skin and then his fangs were piercing it. Jia felt a little bit of pain at the first contact but then he started to feel thankful. He looked at Sungmin and smiled in understanding, the younger was making Jia feel how much he was thankful.</p><p>Natasha was not glad to be ignored so she snarled and pulled her sword out. Daroll and Chungyeol promptly stood between her and the injured vampires.</p><p>“Mishra is under my responsibility. I am formally requesting an audience with Prince Andreas for when both Sungmin and Mishra are fully recovered.” Daroll spoke with a cold voice.</p><p>Natasha looked suspiciously at him. “Why are you suddenly so akin to protect the gangrel?" she practically snarled those words looking from Daroll to Chungyeol and back.</p><p>“It’s something that only concerns my coven. Word had been sent to Prince Andreas already, Mishra helped us find a second batch of werewolves, none of us deserted the fight, but intercepted the backup forces coming to it,” He explained making a hand sign inviting her to leave. “My progeny needs to rest.”</p><p>Natasha narrowed her eyes at Daroll and then shot a glance at the two vampires over the bed. Sungmin had already stopped feeding on Jia’s blood and said blood doll was inspecting the bite on the vampire’s neck but what really called her attention was the fact Sungmin was looking at the red fox, who’s head was resting on his stomach, a hand softly caressing the fur. Natasha thought she knew then why they were suddenly protecting the gangrel.</p><p>“I’ll pass your request to Prince Andreas.” She said in a cold tone and then left.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol visibly relaxed after that. “Can you tell me what the heck happened?” Jia questioned then, looking at his masters.</p><p>“Sungmin saved Mishra’s afterlife and then Mishra saved his. She couldn’t fight anymore yet she still risked herself to save him.” Daroll said also exiting the room.</p><p>“Bring some water and new clothes for them, Jia. For a few days, please, keep feeding him. I’ll gather animals for Mishra to feed from.” Chungyeol said exiting the room after a short glance their way.</p><p>Jia left the room a few minutes after his master and found a bucket of water and towels at the kitchen table. Elena must have done that. He got those things and then moved back to the basement room. Once there he helped Sungmin take off his shirt and with a towel started cleaning up the coated blood and the open wounds, they were starting to close now that the newborn had more blood in his system.</p><p>“Sungmin, what happened to Elena? Did she get hurt?” Jia asked softly and the newborn shook his head.</p><p>“No… after the fight, we all thought Mishra had died, but Elena went to her and gave her blood. Not sure if it was because of that that Mishra survived.”</p><p>Jia frowned at the revelation. “Mishra is with us for a week and got to taste Elena’s blood without Chungyeol freaking out? Hey, you. That was a one in a requiem chance, I hope you had tasted it well.” He said the last lines to the red fox in a clear tease towards Sungmin, who pouted.</p><p>Seeing the younger’s reaction Jia chuckled. “Hey don’t worry. You can’t possibly feed just on me for the next few days. So there’s a chance you’ll get to taste Elena’s blood. It will all depend on how fast you heal.” Sungmin forced a mocking smile the blood doll’s way who chuckled again.</p><p>After he was done in cleaning Sungmin, he moved to the other side of the bed and sat down in a comfortable position to clean up the red fox as well. He worked in silence and as delicately as possible for her wounds were worse than Sungmin’s.</p><p>The next days passed in a way too calm and silent fashion. Because Sungmin was recovering there were no training sessions, plus Chungyeol and Daroll kept locked in the studio discussing who knows what. Jia kept working on his clothes while Elena was watching him.</p><p>Sungmin had spent his days either meditating the Solacea scrolls or the Nodormirae scrolls for how to master the next tiers, while Mishra spent her days in silence and closed eyes, she left her red fox form only when it was time to feed and then was back to it. But the day of the audience with Prince Andreas was nearing and Sungmin was unsure of what his sire had wanted to do.</p><p>“Mishra,” He called softly and the gangrel looked up at him. He put his scrolls aside and looked at her. “Are you resigned to die?” he asked because he felt the need to know. Those green eyes kept looking at him for a moment but then she morphed into a human, her naked body marked with hematomas and half healed wounds.</p><p>“I don’t know, Sungmin. To tell you the truth before meeting your coven I had been set to die as a lone gangrel, but after meeting you… after seeing how your sire so openly goes against truths every kindred follows, I feel like I want to be different like him. Yet no coven would accept me for who I am.” She replied with a small smile. As she kept looking at him, Sungmin averted his eyes from her.</p><p>“You could start your own coven,” He mumbled then and it made her smile. Yes it was true and she could see in Sungmin’s face that’s what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to prove them wrong.</p><p>“I have no conditions of taking care of a newborn. There are kindreds that say each gangrel pack starts with the antediluvian gangrels, they are the ones nurturing strong newborns until they can stand alone as a pack and can themselves create newborns. I don’t think I could be strong enough to start my own.” She explained but the idea had seemed to be nice, having a progeny she could devote herself to and in return they would devote themselves for her. She had that in her original pack. In truth she felt pulled towards Daroll’s coven because they have the same feel her pack had. So unanimously trusting each other.</p><p>“What do you think Daroll hyung wants to say to Prince Andreas?” He questioned then, still not looking at her.</p><p>Her smile widened. “I think I know,” She reached over and cupped Sungmin’s face to make him look at her. “Why did you save me, Sungmin? Why do you keep protecting me? Even when your coven was so openly hostile with me, you still were caring. Why?” she asked softly, her eyes not leaving his.</p><p>“Hyungs told me that first time you had manipulated me.” He started slightly unsure.</p><p>She nodded. “Yes I did.” She confirmed, yet those words were followed by unspoken ones ‘yet afterwards you still kept protecting me’.</p><p>Sungmin sighed. “Because I don’t see you in any different way just for you being a gangrel. The vampires in this city detest each other, yet they socialize and keep the peace the best they can, why should it be different with you? You almost died trying to warn them about the upcoming danger and all they wanted to do was kill you. I couldn’t accept such a thing. I had been betrayed and then killed by my own cousin, I didn’t want my new family to do the same thing.”</p><p>Mishra nodded in understanding. She reached and put a hand over Sungmin’s heart. “I’ve noticed it as I spent time in here. It probably comes from Daroll. Three kindreds living with two blood dolls, you are the most humane kindreds I’ve ever met and believe me I lived enough to have seen many. But your progenitor is seeing what does not exist.”</p><p>Sungmin frowned. “What is he seeing?” he asked almost too innocently.</p><p>“I believe he is seeing this.” Mishra wrapped her arms around Sungmin’s neck as her lips slowly were put over his. Sungmin kissed back as his hands moved to her waist. While they were at that, the door opened, Daroll and Chungyeol froze at the sight of the two in bed and were even more mislead.</p><p>They parted from the kiss a second after the sound and looked at the newly arrived kindreds. “They had been imagining this, now they see it.” Mishra whispered to Sungmin but he was still confused.</p><p>Seeing the expression on the younger’s face Daroll cleared his throat. “I do not need acts, I need the truth. Are you in love with Mishra, Sungmin?”</p><p>Said kindred blinked at his sire. But the reply was as clear as water in his head and Daroll could see before he actually replied. “No.” Chungyeol raised an eyebrow but said nothing.</p><p>“Do you want to die, Mishra?” Daroll asked then to the female, who smiled lightly before lying on Sungmin’s chest.</p><p>“Do I have anything to live for?” she asked back but then she closed her eyes. “I am not in love with your progeny, Daroll. But I care about the child. I do not forget what is given to me. I know you do not trust me, but I trust Sungmin. I would like to see him grow. I would like to keep protecting him, because he makes me feel I can still have somewhere to belong.”</p><p>“You are aware Prince Andreas wouldn’t allow you to keep on living. You know what needs to be said.” Daroll started and Mishra nodded.</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Sungmin asked pouting a little bit too hopelessly.</p><p>“There’s only one way to save Mishra now, Sungmin. And I don’t think it would be hard to fake.” Chungyeol started to explain but the clueless face Sungmin still had made Mishra chuckle.</p><p>“A kindred is capable of loving, Sungmin. Elena is Chungyeol’s companion. A companion is something a kindred is not supposed to take from the other.” Daroll started and it somehow sank in.</p><p>“We need to make them believe I am your companion.” Mishra said then in plain words. From the kiss before Sungmin agreed it wouldn’t be difficult to fake that.</p><p>At the audience, Daroll informed Mishra was to be included as a member of their coven because there was a bond between her and his younger progeny that couldn’t be broken. Yet none of Andreas bodyguards seemed to believe that and neither did the Kindred Prince.</p><p>“If it is as you said then why did she try to desert?” Prince Andreas challenged and for a moment the whole coven was silent, they couldn’t just tell them they decided to fight separately because Daroll had a Mythical Scythe he didn’t want any kindred out of his coven to know about. At that moment Mishra took a step ahead letting go of Sungmin’s hand. She had dressed like a noble with clothes Jia had made for her to enhance the fact she had already been accepted as a member of their small click.</p><p>“It was not my intention to desert, but the more I looked at Sungmin the more I felt it was hard to give up on him. He had showered me with care and with love, he made it so clear he wouldn’t want me dead, yet that was what was supposed to be. I didn’t want to let him get in trouble when the time you would kill me arrived. I didn’t want him to rebel. I believed his coven wouldn’t accept me, so I decided to distance myself and let the werewolves kill me. I believed it to be the safest way to end whatever was blooming between us. But he made my plan fail. He went after me and his whole coven went after him. When I noticed that, the only thought I had was not allow him to die. And he did his best not to allow me to die either. When the fight was over and I knew he was safe, I was ready to let go, yet Elena gave me her blood, Daroll allowed Sungmin to hold me protectively, Chungyeol took me back to their house with so much care. I could hardly believe they had accepted us. I had been resigned to die, but I am no longer. Even though I can’t follow every of their footsteps I came to terms with myself to live as a Dragon from now on.” Her words were heartfelt and true. No-one in that room could say she had lied because that was what had exactly happened and passed through her mind. It was not a companion bond, in all effects, that had bloomed between them, it was trust.</p><p>Sungmin took a step ahead as well and laced his fingers with Mishra’s. “Prince Andreas. You know where I came from and you know how I had been stripped from everything I cherished. Right now I cherish my coven, and to me Mishra is part of it. I had never requested anything from my sire, even less from your highness, but right now I ask you to see Mishra not as a gangrel, but as a kindred that gave you a handicap to overrule the werewolves.”</p><p>Andreas narrowed his eyes at the coven in front of him. Daroll had formally accepted her, Mishra had vowed loyalty to him as if he was her sire and he was just a visitor in their land. If he wanted to he could just kill all of them in that instant, but that wouldn’t be wise of him. “If my guards spot her in any of her animal forms inside this capital she dies, having you accepted her or not.” Andreas finally said dismissing that audience.</p><p>After he was left alone with his guards. He spoke indignantly. “A slave that turned a counselor, and from counselor became a kindred.”</p><p>A female kindred walked to him from the shadows. “Daroll has formidable eyes,” She spoke in a teasing tone. “And you are wise not to go against an Antediluvian’s favorite.”</p><p>“Will I have the bloody sword?” he questioned then and the woman disappeared into thin air, just her voice resonating in the room was left behind. “The Artisan is always true to his words. Send in the right person and you’ll get what you want.”</p><p>Daroll thought the audience had been too easy. Prince Andreas had agreed too easily. Despite the words used to have had the power he thought would be necessary, there was something bothering him. And he understood what it was when they got home and he saw at the yard a figure in a blue and golden sari he was not expecting to see.</p><p>“Sahyoun.” The name slipped easily from his lips, but the next second she disappeared. Chungyeol had heard what his sire had said and approached with a frown. He looked over the back yard before looking at Daroll.</p><p>“We spent too much time in here,” The younger whispered. “Would Sungmin be ready?” he continued looking behind and still managing to see the younger go to his room at the basement. Noticing all the glancing and the whispery talk Jia and Elena got closer wanting to know what was bothering the two vampires.</p><p>“He already mastered two Solacea Tiers. That’s good enough for him to stand the heat, we could travel if we protect him from direct light. It wouldn’t be good to remain here for a while. Prince Andreas accepted Mishra too easily.” Daroll pondered deciding that his vision of the Artisan’s companion was indication enough the old kindred wanted them to move.</p><p>“Tomorrow I’ll prepare our leave.” Chungyeol bowed and those words were enough for Elena and Jia to go and pack their possessions the best they could.</p><p>Sungmin had been talking with Mishra and somehow celebrating their win when he heard the unusual sounds of things being moved around. The two kindreds were curious about the matter and went to search for their sire.</p><p>“Hyung?” Sungmin called at the door of the elder’s office. He saw Daroll organizing papers and packing stuff. “What’s going on?” he inquired then after a short glance Mishra’s way. Daroll beckoned the two to enter and sit.</p><p>“Sungmin, if you remember, while you were still human we arrived at this kingdom as ‘ambassadors of the southeast’ and we had ‘left’ shortly after your death. We never told you what had really brought us here.” Daroll started looking solely at his progeny. Sungmin was slightly taken aback, in thirty years he had never stopped to ask, that topic never really crossed his mind.</p><p>Seeing the younger’s expression Daroll continued. “Actually before we came here Chungyeol, Elena, Jia and I took part in a war back in our home land. The vampire Prince that ruled the land had tried to snatch Elena from Chungyeol and we didn’t take it lightly. Because the vampires were getting more and more disgusted with the Prince, the Antediluvians in the Vampire council stated that if the dissatisfied kindreds managed to behead the Prince none would be punished for that." Daroll paused for a moment to study the expressions in front of him, Sungmin seemed to be taking that as a very important class he would have a test about later, while Mishra just seemed to be amused.</p><p>"Chungyeol beheaded that prince, but being my progeny he couldn’t be the Prince and I didn’t want the task either. We got quite well known for what we’ve done and that’s why Andreas welcomed us so kindly. In fact shortly after that war someone came to visit me. A female kindred called Sahyoun. She told me to leave that place and head northwest because the Artisan would like to see my scythe.”</p><p>Sungmin and Mishra had listened carefully but at the mention of the legendary kindred the reactions were very much opposed. Sungmin had frowned and asked quite dumbly who that artisan could be, while Mishra’s mouth fell agape and she froze in the spot. Daroll smiled slightly at seeing them.</p><p>“The Artisan.” Daroll repeated taking hold of his cane and placing it up the table. “Mishra, today you had vowed to obey me and I took you as part of my coven, you are the only one, though, I do not trust. So I am warning you: you had seen what this scythe can do, if you ever betray us you’ll feel what this scythe can do.” The gangrel nodded not looking at the cane but at Daroll. She said nothing though, because she couldn't think of anything to say. The elder turned back to Sungmin and started to explain the facts to his progeny.</p><p>“The Artisan is an antediluvian kindred, Sungmin, a very powerful one. He takes pleasure in watching how certain kindreds are able to live their requiem, and those he calls The Worthy. He had crafted mythical blades for those and those blades are up till now sought by many kindreds, some put in all their effort to be able to steal the blades from their original owners, some spend centuries of their requiem just looking for the Artisan without ever finding him, others do find him but are not deemed worthy, even fewer are those that had been gifted a blade. I had been given the title though nobody actually knows what he had crafted for me. Everybody that had known about my stay with him believes he had crafted me a Flaming Sword I had given the Prince and that had been stolen during the war. But in reality he had crafted me this scythe.”</p><p>Mishra nodded with a curious expression while Sungmin looked at the cane with other eyes. “And this Artisan guy wants to see the scythe again? Why?” Sungmin asked after all the information sank in. Suddenly the door was opened and Chungyeol got in. “You can call that old hag 'the nameless guy'. The ‘Artisan’ is too pompous.” He grumbled as he took a seat at the left arm of Daroll’s chair.</p><p>Somehow with the comment the tense atmosphere Daroll had created with all the serious talk and monotone intonation lessened. Sungmin actually chuckled at Chungyeol’s mad face and Mishra just looked amused once again. Only Chungyeol would be able to make fun of an antediluvian like that.</p><p>“There’s a soul imprisoned in the cane,” Daroll suddenly blurted out getting the attention back to him. “There must be something to do with it, the reason why the Artisan wants to talk with me again. I am not blaming you, Sungmin, but I am somehow thirty years late in meeting him.” He continued giving his younger progeny a small smile.</p><p>Sungmin felt a shiver run through his body as the words sank in. They were telling him it was time to leave. Those thirty years he had lived in his homeland as a kindred somehow gave him the illusion they would live there forever. It pained him to think of his human family, Frederick had already married, his first child had been a girl, a year later he had a boy who would be crowned emperor some day in the future. Victor had also married and his wife had given him twin boys. Isabelle married a very important noble and had given birth to two boys and a girl. Above all Mother-empress Lauren was still alive and demanding to see her great-grandchildren running around the palace. Sungmin had silently watched them over the years and now he would finally be forced to let go. He consoled himself with the thought that at least he wouldn't see any of them die.</p><p>“We must proceed with our way. I think we moved north enough, now we’ll go west.” Daroll spoke bringing him back from his reverie.</p><p>“Northwest you say?” Mishra asked and looked back down at the cane. “Are you looking for some isolated place?” her eyes moved back to Daroll who nodded.</p><p>“I think we are. Last time he was hidden in the middle of a desert hidden in a grotto under a small mountain.” Daroll replied quite interested in the expression Mishra had.</p><p>“You might want to go further north then.” She said and Sungmin frowned this time.</p><p>“Further north?” Daroll asked as his eyes moved to Sungmin wondering for the reason of the frown. “Why further north?”</p><p>This time it was Sungmin who replied. “The set of mountains further north had never been explored. The people in here believe there’s only ice at the other side because it’s just too cold and too high up there." he started to explain. "Emperor Markus had sent explores to the mountain but the ones that came back had told him the mountains were too wild, the more they would go up the weaker they got, to get to the other side would cost them too much food and protection against the cold and wild animals. There was even some saying it would be impossible to get to the other side."</p><p>Mishra decided to interrupt the younger then. "Impossible for humans maybe, but not for kindreds."</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol looked at each other before Chungyeol questioned. "What about blood dolls?" as reply Mishra shrugged and Sungmin frowned.</p><p>"We would have to test that. If they can't go we would have to find a safe place for them to stay. But one thing is for sure: we can't take much with us. Maybe just food and water for them, if we get to spend too much time out we can just hunt." Mishra then gave her opinion to which they couldn’t do much but agree.</p><p>Chungyeol stood up with a pensive expression before he looked at Daroll. "We’ll have to do it like the first time, Dal. Let’s request for our belongings to be kept safe and then leave everything packed for when we're back, so we can just go back home once again."</p><p>Daroll looked from Chungyeol to Sungmin and then Mishra before nodding. “After we talk with the Artisan we’ll go back to the southeast. Sungmin needs to know the land his great-grandparents used to live at.” He smiled tentatively at the younger knowing how he would be torn into leaving behind so suddenly the place he always knew as home.</p><p>Sungmin smiled back. “I’ll prepare myself.” The younger guaranteed before standing up and leaving the room. Mishra followed him leaving Daroll and Chungyeol to discuss what they needed to discuss among themselves.</p><p>That night the newborn ventured into the palace to say goodbye to his human family. His first visit was for Lauren, the old woman was peacefully sleeping on her bed. He left at the small table beside her bed three coins of gold, the triple of what she used to give him after his parents died. He hoped it was enough of a message for her. He did the same with the other members of his family. Mishra had waited for him outside of the palace and after he was back they went to feed.</p><p>The next day Daroll visited Prince Andreas one more time to inform they would try a first pursuit of the Artisan and they planned to leave in a week time, so if the prince could kindly look after their possessions, he would be extremely grateful. Andreas seemed to be slightly suspicious about Daroll deciding to leave so suddenly but the Dragon had a polite smile on his face as he replied. "Chungyeol was just fifty years old when we killed my sire and most of my old coven, Sungmin is thirty and won his first great war against werewolves. I deem him ready to travel. You know I stayed this long because I needed to protect him from the sun." Andreas could only curse Daroll inwardly for always having a perfect reply to whatever as he guaranteed the other’s belongings would be kept safe, as long as Ilvy and Shanti went with them as previously agreed. Daroll had no protests about that, despite finding it odd he had changed the bodyguards to go with them.</p><p>One week later, before the sun had set, Daroll and his coven plus Ilvy and Shanti had left the city towards the portentous mountain to the northwest. Sungmin had been given a long black mantle with a hood to help keep him hidden from the sun but still able to travel. He had mastered three tiers of Nodormirae and thanks to that he wouldn't need to sleep for three weeks – that is if he didn't get hurt too badly for any reason. Jia and Elena were dressed with heavy winter gear. The vampires were carrying water and food for the two. All of them armed to face whatever were up the mountains.</p><p>The plan for the pursuit was quite simple, they would run for the whole night and rest during the day because of the humans. Shanti and Ilvy thought that to be too inconvenient, first they had proposed to leave the humans behind but Chungyeol wouldn’t have that. And to be truthful Sungmin couldn’t imagine them walking around without the two blood dolls. Because the interests were always so conflicting the two female kindreds would often go ahead in search for any hint about the whereabouts of the Artisan while Daroll’s coven kept on taking care of the human members.</p><p>They had traveled north and climbed a good portion of the mountain, yet the higher they tried to get the sooner Jia and Elena would get breathless and tired so at one point they decided to climb back down and simply head west. Days and nights passed in a similar fashion until the food ended as well as the water before they were able to find any trace of where the Artisan could be. Twice they collected water in mountain springs and more than five times Shanti and Ilvy had to endure see Mishra hunting so Jia and Elena would have something to eat.</p><p>In those times Sungmin and Mishra would leave the group and hunt just with the two of them while the blood dolls rested. It was in one of those hunts that the unexpected happened. Mishra had found a mountain deer and had been running after it when Sungmin jumped in its neck making it fall. They were already cutting and salting the meat to take back to their hideout when Sungmin saw something blue move in his peripheral vision, he looked up and saw a woman dressed in some strange blue and gold dress standing at some rocks and looking down at them. Daroll had told him how Sahyoun looked like and he was sure that was no other but the Artisan's companion.</p><p>"Mishra!" he called pointing in the direction of the lady in front of what seemed to be a cave far up in the mountain, almost hidden by a set of rocks. The two of them had climbed up the mountain to a point that was uncomfortable for the humans as they had noticed.</p><p>"It must be her! The Artisan must be near!" Mishra marveled. She had morphed back into a human to help Sungmin cut the meat, salt it and place it in the pot they reserved to storage it for the following days.</p><p>Suddenly the woman in blue turned around and entered the cave. Sungmin stood up and started following the female. "Mishra go back to them! You are better tracker than me. Take the meat we already have and go back. I am sure you'll find my smell again."</p><p>Mishra wanted to protest but she knew he was right. They couldn't lose this track. “Wait!” she called and Sungmin stopped, turning back to her. She took a step to him and gave him a short but heated kiss. For some reason, she liked to throughout act the lovers role. "We’ll be with you in a bit." she assured before she morphed back into a red fox, grabbed the clothe she had wrapped the jar with salty deer meat in and sprinted in the direction the rest of the coven was.</p><p>Meanwhile Sungmin had pushed behind him the kiss and rushed up the mountain in the direction of the cave. He noticed two distinct smells as he was deep into the cave. Two sweet smells, one female and the other male, but the female was much stronger.</p><p>There was no way to get lost inside the cave. It was just one long tunnel and the more he moved forward the darker it would get. He had been running once he entered that place but as he barely could see what was in front of him or what was behind he resumed to just walk taking long breaths to make sure not to lose the trace. At one point Sungmin thought he had seen light but then doubted that idea, after all how come there could be such vivid blue light? He kept walking and noticed it was indeed some kind of blue light and, as closer as he was getting to its origin, the stronger the kindred smell was getting, especially the male smell.</p><p>After a moment he came face to face with a black lustrous wall and hanging in it was a torch burning in some strange blue fire. He turned to the left and saw a small corridor that ended in a great hall. It seemed like there was a bubble in the middle of the rock. Sungmin entered the hall with small uncertain steps. He saw the woman and a man dressed almost like him, with a thick black mantle and a hood completely hiding his face.</p><p>Yet Sungmin didn't really pay attention to the man, his eyes were fixed in the woman. That strange fire made the blue of her dress shine in a sinister way, it made her seem an ethereal being. His surroundings started to disappear and only that strange kindred seemed to remain. His eyes locked with hers and for a moment he saw himself surrounded by wolves, but they were not glaring at him, just there around him as if protecting him, he saw shadows moving at a distance but they were also not frightening.</p><p>He looked beside him because he felt fur brush against his hand, for a moment he expected to see Mishra’s red fur, he thought for a moment he was surrounded by her pack, yet the wolf that was facing him was not red but white as snow. He felt slightly taken aback and for some reason he couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful animal, it was as if time had suddenly stopped when their eyes met.</p><p>But then he felt cold hands taking hold of his face and forcing him to look back ahead. His eyes met light blue ones. Maybe they were actually grey just reflecting the blue of that fire. The kindred in front of him smiled and his eyes traveled over her features, at the back of his head he felt disgusted with the black veins coming from her neck to her cheeks and up to her eyes like some sort of disease in the shape of a dead tree, but he still thought that woman was beautiful.</p><p>"Your future is fascinating," he heard the female voice but it seemed to come from somewhere far away and not from just in front of him. “It’s not a crime to allow yourself to be happy," he felt confused with the last words, he remembered Empress Lauren telling him that a few years after he became a counselor, Emperor Markus had told him to find a wife but he refused, he would refuse everything that could bring him happiness because he promised himself he first would have to see Victor and Isabelle have a happy life before he could think of himself.</p><p>He blinked and the two kindreds were still standing far away from him almost in the middle of the hall while he was still by the corridor. He felt surprised and lost, even a bit scared knowing his coven was not there to protect his back.</p><p>"Welcome to my humble blacksmith station." the man spoke with a voice that filled Sungmin with fear. It had a young intonation but somehow sounded as old as the world.</p><p>Mishra had ran as fast as she could. She moved as a red blur around the white snow covering the mountain. She jumped in the middle of the small camp her coven had built to rest. Jia had been the first to come to her and get the jar from her mouth, Elena also went to her and wrapped around her a mantle so she could morph back into a human. They had agreed when they left that Mishra always would only freely morph back and forth into a human in front of Sungmin and if only they were alone. In front of anyone else she would have to have a mantle to cover her nakedness.</p><p>She was about to tell them what had happened when Chungyeol beat her to it asking where the hell Sungmin was and from then she couldn't talk because Ilvy decided to give her opinion. "She probably killed him and prepared some sort of trap for you, to kill you as well."</p><p>Chungyeol rolled his eyes at her words. "Right and Elena and Jia will go rebel against me and kill me before Mishra can." he mocked. Mishra smiled at him for his reply and Daroll got closer to ask what had happened.</p><p>"We got a deer. Sungmin was cutting the meat slices when he suddenly spotted movement and we saw a female kindred that fits your description of the artisan's companion. Sungmin told me to come get you while he followed the kindred." Mishra relayed. Without missing a beat the blood dolls started to pack the things they brought to prepare food so they could leave as soon as possible.</p><p>"How could you abandon your companion? What if it's not the artisan but someone else's trap for us?" Shanti spoke this time.</p><p>Mishra hissed her way. "I did not abandon him!"</p><p>"That's enough." Daroll said with an impartial tone and for a second Mishra thought he would side with the other two females but studying the way they had positioned themselves around her she knew they were taking her side on the fight.</p><p>"We are wasting time," Chungyeol growled. "Show us the way, Mishra."</p><p>Said kindred gave her back to the prince's bodyguards and started to run back to where she had separated with Sungmin without any other word or morphing back into a red fox. She was tired of hearing them say how she was supposed to act as a Dragon.</p><p>She smirked at the memory of the first day she went to hunt with Sungmin to get Elena and Jia some more food. The moment she had morphed into a red fox, Ilvy pulled out her sword and Shanti came after her ready to kill the gangrel. Yet Daroll, Chungyeol and Sungmin stepped in between. Daroll had calmly asked what that meant and Ilvy snarled Mishra had broken her vow by morphing into a red fox and that Prince Andreas had ordered them to kill her if she did break the vow. Daroll looked at the red fox then rested his gaze back at the two bodyguards. “Prince Andreas said ‘inside the capital’ we are in the mountains.” Sungmin had pointed out with a smirk and Daroll complemented the thought.</p><p>“Mishra is free to morph in here, I haven’t forbidden her to use her gangrel abilities.” His tone was cordial yet it was clear the warning. Outside the capital the only rules were the ones Daroll had stated. She would never forget their displeased faces.</p><p>"I can't believe you really trust her." Ilvy mumbled and somehow Mishra had enough.</p><p>She turned around and glared at the two. "I came here to take <em>my coven</em> to where Sungmin and I believe the artisan is. We are not stopping you from following me. You can find the artisan yourselves." she practically growled those words. Ilvy and Shanti growled back but Daroll stopped the fight that was about to start. From the first day they left the capital in the north direction, the two kindreds were only complaining, both about the humans and Mishra. They made sure to voice everything that had been displeasing them and so far the coven had been patient enough to ignore them or force Daroll’s will without a fight. But Mishra really had enough.</p><p>"Mishra is right. Prince Andreas had sent you to find the artisan with us, but you can simply follow us and not <em>travel</em> with us, if our company is not something you look forward to.” Chungyeol pointed out and ended the discussion. Jia took a soft hold of Mishra’s wrist whispering for her to take them to Sungmin. It helped her focus on the task and once again they were climbing up the mountain making sure to move more to the west.</p><p>Daroll had noticed Ilvy and Shanti were not following and said loud enough for them to hear. “Don’t lose our track. We are not responsible if you fail in your quest.” They had hissed but still didn’t move. They had had put a long distance between them but Chungyeol could tell by their smell the two had been tracking them.</p><p>After a few minutes of running, both Jia and Elena had to walk slower because they got dizzy. Not to delay their run, Jia climbed on Daroll’s back while Elena climbed on Chungyeol’s and like that they reached the dead deer and then the cave. They put the blood dolls back on their feet and started to cautiously walk inside the cave.</p><p>The darker it would get the bigger became the feeling of dejá-vù for the three that had already faced the Artisan. Somehow Daroll couldn’t picture why he felt like the intensity of the blue light suddenly diminished.</p><p>Sungmin had just snapped out of the daze Sahyoun had put him in and was searching for his voice when Mishra’s smell called his attention and after hers that of Daroll, Chungyeol, Jia and Elena, there was no trace of Shanti or Ilvy's smell though.</p><p>"It's good to see you again, Daroll," the artisan greeted - still saying that name with displease – the moment the other members of Sungmin’s coven entered his humble workshop. "Chungyeol," he mused "As interesting as always, I see. I must say I enjoyed what you've done to Adrian, but you disappointed me for losing the Flaming Sword I had created for you."</p><p>Chungyeol gritted his teeth at those words. Would that old hag always be a pain in the ass? Why was he saying he had crafted that sword for him? "Jia, child, you seem tired. Maybe I hid a bit too high for a human's comfort zone. But I am glad to see you still <em>alive</em>." Sungmin couldn't tell if those words were purely a tease of if that guy was really glad to see the human. The artisan eyed then the two ladies with them. “And who must be you?” he questioned with an amused tone.</p><p>Elena was pondering with herself if she should answer or just wait for Chungyeol to say something, Mishra was about to reply when the artisan raised a hand in a sign for her to stop. “Ah I see,” The Artisan mused. “Elena. You were the one that Chungyeol had risked his neck for. Yes, the reason why I accepted to revive the Flaming Sword for him.” The old kindred spoke slowly almost dragging the words. Chungyeol couldn’t keep in his voice at the comment.</p><p>“You craft nothing for me, Artisan. Why are you coming up with this bullshit now?” the vampire asked rudely, much more than what he actually should. Unknown to him other than angering the antediluvian it actually made him smirk.</p><p>“Ah child, I knew all about this human woman that managed to capture your heart and I knew she would be exactly the type of prize Adrian would like to steal from another kindred,” The antediluvian started but stopped shortly to look at Ilvy and Shanti who just entered the main cave. He shook his head before continuing. “If there was no Flaming Sword do you really think you would have spent five hundred years living at that quite beautiful country-island? No. I had crafted that sword to test you. I expected you to keep both the Flaming Steel and the woman, but you just kept one. Too much loyalty, that was the problem. But I know you’ll get it back, the sword will find its way back to its rightful owner.”</p><p>Chungyeol didn’t want to admit but hearing that prophesy made him look forward for that day. It was good to know he had the rights over a mythical weapon. He had questions but he couldn’t ask with the unwanted presence of Prince Andreas’ eyes and ears.</p><p>“Daroll,” He called making a hand sign for the kindred to come closer. “You on the other hand never disappoint me. I told you to come and you did. I showed you the way and you clearly saw the treasure,” He said speaking about Sungmin. “You see that lady over there?” he pointed at Mishra. “’A gangrel should never be trusted.’ That’s what they say. But loyalty runs in a gangrel’s vitae as long as it knows it’s serving the right one. Those that cannot see a rough diamond are not worth of having a polished one.” Ilvy and Shanti did not like the sound of that.</p><p>The Artisan looked at the two Devas and said. “You are not part of Daroll’s formidable coven. What are you doing here?” Ilvy was about to reply when he pointed a finger in her direction. “You are not worthy. A merciless kindred is one that doesn’t know the value of a slave kept by fear or adoration. They are useful sometimes,” He looked at Shanti then and the finger moved along. “You are not worthy. Blindly shedding blood in useless wars is shameful when you could have so much more without them. You came because your Prince had wanted to try his luck with you, his best warriors I guess. I do not look for past victories. I see the worthiness in what the future holds. But I’ll give your Prince a second chance. He has the right kindred,” He made a hand sign shooing the two away. “Leave. In my presence stays only those I crafted or will craft for.”</p><p>Those lines had seemed to anger the two kindreds. “We are not the only ones to leave then. We’ll leave once the other ‘unworthy’ leave as well.” Ilvy said clearly looking at Mishra and the two humans.</p><p>“You are the only ones to leave,” The Artisan replied with an amused tone. “You see the child over there? If he is able to survive you just can’t imagine what he will do in a few centuries. And I certainly want to watch it from the best seat. And if surviving is what he needs I’ll give him the right weapon to do so. You, Sungmin, are the worthy one I’ll craft for. And as I said, remains in my presence the ones I had crafted for and the ones I will craft for. Let’s count,”</p><p>Ilvy gritted her teeth and Shanti narrowed her eyes at the Artisan. Daroll, though his outer appearance was calm, was actually very surprised with what was happening. Sungmin was downhill lost while the rest of those present were just throughout amused at the outcome of the situation. But the Artisan continued with the same mocking tone he used for his last words.</p><p>“I had crafted for Daroll. He stays. I had crafted for Chungyeol, though the child still believes I did not. So he stays. Now I do not like humans under my roof, but I do not separate couples. Daroll knows I don’t. So little Elena stays with Chungyeol. And Jia, well he is Chungyeol’s first blood doll and just about fifty years younger than his master, he is beside him for long enough to be considered a companion as well. Little Jia stays. Now Sungmin, I just said I’ll craft for him so obviously he stays. We’re left the gangrel, Mishra,” The artisan stopped just for the dramatic effect. “Tell me, who is Mishra again? Oh, yes, you’re right, she’s little Sungmin’s companion. She stays. And thus the count ends and we have? Yes, just the two of you out.” The Artisan made a hand sign for them to leave while beckoning Sungmin to come closer as well.</p><p>“Sahyoun, show our guests where they’ll stay.” Said kindred bowed to the antediluvian and kindly requested the others to follow her. While Chungyeol, Jia, Elena and Mishra moved after the Artisan’s companion, Ilvy and Shanti furiously left back to the Prince, they knew better than go against the antediluvian but they could tell Andreas was not going to be happy with what had happened in there.</p><p>The guests were taken to a hidden passageway at the other side of the grand hall. Once again Chungyeol felt like deja-vu, that place seemed to be like the grotto back in the desert, but the stone of the wall was different, the corridors were different and the number of ‘rooms’ was bigger. Chungyeol remembered that back then there was just the blacksmith station and a ‘room’ for Daroll and Hazel, he doubted this time his sire would have Empress Lauren to keep him company. Yet the corridor Sahyoun took them through led them to four separated smaller caves: one for Daroll, one for Chungyeol and Elena, one for Jia and one for Sungmin and Mishra. How the artisan was able to do that to a mountain he wouldn’t know.</p><p>Back at the grand hall the Artisan asked for the cane and Daroll promptly gave it to him. The Antediluvian inspected the runes and hummed in approval. “You take such good care of it, the platinum is still good, but I’ll reinforce it anyway,” With the cane in hand he turned to Sungmin. “For you I have a very nice idea. You have affinity to fight with a double sword so I’ll make you one you’ll love for the rest of your requiem.” The old kindred mused.</p><p>He walked to his station and placed the cane over a table, he then turned to Sungmin to ask. “Do you like silver, child?” Sungmin was about to reply, but Daroll put a hand over his shoulder the exact same moment the Artisan spoke again. “Of course you do, but platinum is the right metal for you. Never forget that.” And with that said the two just kept on watching the artisan delicately work on the cane.</p><p>They didn’t know for how long they kept watching but they only moved after the Artisan claimed to be done. He sent the cane flying back to Daroll and just by holding it the kindred could feel the immense power coming from it. He didn’t like the idea of Aesur being imprisoned in that artifact but he was thankful his ‘son’ agreed on that to help him.</p><p>“Sungmin, come here.” The Artisan called and the younger vampire walked to him with just slight hesitance. There was a caldron near where the artisan was standing, with what he believed was liquefied metal, probably platinum since it had been mentioned before. There was fire everywhere yet he was not feeling hot or in discomfort, in fact he felt it was colder near that strange fire.</p><p>“You came to me, and I will craft for you. But solely I cannot make your double sword, you have to give me some material for it. Platinum is quite hard to find, but you sire had a very good amount of it hidden at that beautiful house you got here in the north,” He looked at Daroll shortly after saying that. “I took the liberty of using your platinum, Daroll, for this,” And he looked back at Sungmin. “But I need something very important from you. I need your blood.”</p><p>The artisan pulled out of his mantle a dagger, Sungmin couldn’t tell if it was made of silver or platinum, but it was certainly very beautiful in the shape of a wingless dragon. He handed the dagger to the clueless newborn. “Cut your wrist and let your blood drop in here.” The old kindred pulled the younger closer to the caldron. Sungmin looked back at Daroll hoping to find some encouragement or a warning for him to stop, but his sire merely nodded indicating he should obey the Artisan.</p><p>Sungmin took the dagger and sliced his wrist allowing his vitae to drop and mix itself with the silvery liquid. Slowly the color changed until it became deep red. Sungmin watched in a daze the blood flowing out of him and he only noticed the Artisan had said it was enough when suddenly Mishra pulled his arm so she could lick the wound. Sungmin stumbled and fell in Daroll’s arms. The Artisan was smirking while looking at them but they couldn’t tell because the hood was doing a good job of hiding the other’s face.</p><p>The newborn blinked and still managed to ask what had happened before everything turned dark. The last thing he heard was Mishra shrieking his name out.</p><p>Ilvy and Shanti spent five whole days to get back at the capital and relay to the Prince all the information they got from the Artisan. Of course Andreas had been extremely pissed with the fact Sungmin, a mere newborn, had already been granted the honor of having a weapon crafted by the Artisan while many – him included – had always wished to have one but could only retort to stealing to do so.</p><p>“Was he implying a newborn is better than me? I can’t understand why an Antediluvian would favor Daroll and his coven!” Andreas thundered.</p><p>Agatha tried to calm him. “Show them they should not play with you, my Prince,” She had insinuated with a devilish smirk. “Sungmin treasures these humans that once were his family, especially the female he calls ‘baby sister’. Bargain with him, her life for the weapon the artisan had made him.”</p><p>Prince Andreas liked what he heard, but even more what he added to the plan. “And once I have the weapon in my hands I’ll use it to kill her in front of him. Or maybe I could even embrace her and order her to kill him instead. I want that brat dead.”</p><p>Little did he know his plan was doomed to fail. Sungmin had slept for those five days after giving almost all his vitae for the crafting of his double sword. He had woken up with Mishra beside him and a badly burning throat. Sahyoun and Mishra had kept in the ‘room’ some wild animals for him to feed from and he was very thankful for that. Human blood tasted much better and was much more nourishing but blood was blood in the condition he was in.</p><p>He had thanked Mishra with a searing kiss before looking for both Sahyoun and the Artisan. He heard the others were outside training while he had been resting, so it was just the two of them he found. Yet he could hardly believe his eyes when he found the much older kindreds. Sahyoun was standing at a corner of the grand cave, she was reaching for a circle made of that strange blue fire on the wall in front of her, she was reciting some sort of mantra. The artisan had been standing beside her and had his gaze focused on the circle. Intrigued Sungmin got closer, with every step he noticed the antediluvians were not looking at the fire, in the middle of the circle there were vivid images. He saw all the conversation between Prince Andreas and his bodyguards. The moment they started talking about Isabelle, Sungmin was filled with immense hatred towards the Kindred he had respected till that day.</p><p>Sungmin growled closing his hands into fists. Sahyoun looked at the younger through the corner of her eyes but the Artisan turned to him. “Andreas is the Prince, Sungmin. If he wants a human dead you cannot do anything to stop him.” Those words felt like a slap against Sungmin. The artisan was right, the Prince should be respected and obeyed. But his sire and Chungyeol conspired against a Prince. That bastard could fall, Sungmin just had to think carefully of how to make that happen.</p><p>Something got his attention back to the image in between the fire. Prince Andreas was calling Natasha and Zoe.</p><p>‘I am sending the both of you to the Artisan. Shanti will take you there. You must bring me the Bloody Sword. I don’t care what you have to do to get it,’ Andreas spoke with such sweetness it made Sungmin disgusted. ‘Agatha, you go get me Princess Isabelle. I want her here when ‘Vincent’ is back from the Artisan’s hideout.’</p><p>The four female kindreds smiled and bowed. ‘As you wish.’ They chanted together. Sungmin narrowed his eyes at them. The moment they turned to leave Andreas called ordering them to stop. ‘One more thing. Ilvy and Shanti told me the Artisan had crafted for both Daroll and Chungyeol. But word was given to me they only had one mythical weapon back home, and that Flaming Sword was lost in their little war. Two experienced kindreds, a gangrel, a newborn and a blood doll. It’s quite unbelievable that they managed to kill alone almost thirty werewolves in our last fight. They are hiding a mythical sword somewhere. Find it. I want it as well.’</p><p>Sungmin felt his blood boil. Like hell they would find out about Daroll’s scythe. The newborn narrowed his eyes trying to think of how to protect their secret. How could they win against that Prince? The light came to him as Jade re-entered the room after the other bodyguards left.</p><p>‘My prince… I am feeling lonely,’ Jade mused sitting on the Prince’s lap and kissing her master. They shamelessly started making out yet after a moment Andreas let go.</p><p>‘Not now, Jade. I am in a terrible mood.’ He made a move to get her out of his lap but the female Kindred had other plans.</p><p>‘You should have sent me to the Artisan, my Prince. I bet only your real companion will be able to bring you what you want.’ She mused starting to kiss his neck.</p><p>‘I can’t bear to be without you,’ Andreas replied allowing her to pleasure him.</p><p>‘If that is so, why have you been neglecting me?’ Jade pouted not stopping her ministrations.</p><p>‘You know I have to tame the others, they have to believe they are my companions to do as I say. You know you are my one and only true companion, Jade.’ Andreas replied starting to pleasure his bodyguard as well. And that last line was the trump card Sungmin needed to win.</p><p>Once he had heard Natasha saying she was Prince Andreas companion, and another time Zoe had insisted with Jia she was the real one. That bastard was playing with all six, saying what they wanted to hear and forcing them to accept him spending time with the others so they could keep on serving him. None could see they were being led so shamelessly and he knew which one he should put against the Prince to win. And she was coming to him.</p><p>Sungmin turned to the Artisan then. A mirthless smirk on his lips as he spoke with the politest tone he could muster. “Artisan, may I know how long will it take for my sword to be finished?”</p><p>The Antediluvian studied Sungmin for a moment before replying with slight annoyance. “My crafts are not mere weapons. They are pieces of art. The blade is practically done but not enough for what I want it to do. Five more days and it will be ready for you. Four if nobody distracts me.”</p><p>Sungmin pondered those words setting that as a deadline for his plan. “May I go out or is it necessary for me to stay in here all time?” The Artisan looked interestedly at him. He wanted to ask the reason behind the question and know what the child would do but he decided to just watch and see if that kid could really amuse him as Daroll had done so far.</p><p>“You can go out, as long as you are here when I need you to be.” The Artisan dismissed him with a shooing hand sign and Sungmin immediately skipped back to his ‘room’. He told Mishra what he had seen and told her what he was planning to do. The gangrel supported him in his decision and they quickly left to find the other members of the coven.</p><p>They found the others some ten minutes walk down the cave. Chungyeol and Daroll had been sparring while Jia and Elena were watching, somewhat breathless and looking tired. The moment they felt Sungmin’s smell they stopped and turned to him all but pampering him. Sungmin smiled and assured he was fine, but then turned serious and once again told the others what he had seen through Sahyoun’s spell. All of them went silent at the mention of the secret about the cane almost leaking.</p><p>“If I manage to do this right we might not need to fight,” He said seriously, he was worried about the cane but much more worried about his baby sister. “We just need to turn the bodyguards against him, and I think Zoe is our best bet to a start.” He continued looking at all his coven members one by one.</p><p>“Why Zoe?” Daroll asked softly but he was interrupted by Jia.</p><p>“She’s the kindest of all them. She’s the only one I actually like a little.”</p><p>Sungmin nodded. Yes, Jia was right and the newborn himself wouldn’t want to sacrifice the kindred for Adrian’s downfall. But if it had to be done he would do it anyway.</p><p>“Back when we told them Mishra and I had technically fallen in love, Zoe had been the first to accept it. While the others kept trying to bring us down, she accepted. I can tell Zoe values a companionship much more than the others, if she sees she’s just being used she’ll be extremely hurt and will side with us. I am sure of it,” Sungmin answered. “We just have to involve her without her noticing.”</p><p>They spent the next four days polishing their plan of protecting themselves from Prince Andreas. They were all ready for what was to come.</p><p>When Shanti, Natasha and Zoe were close by, they first felt Sungmin’s and Mishra’s smell out of the cave. Curious of why the Artisan’s ‘Worthy One’ was not there with him they followed the smell only to find the two under a tree kissing in a half-naked state.</p><p>The ‘couple’ acted surprised to be spotted like that and Sungmin protectively held Mishra to hide her with his body. Mishra stretched to take hold of Sungmin’s mantle to hide the both of them with it. “Zoe and Natasha?” Sungmin asked with a small smile and a wave. “Shanti, you forgot where the cave is? You’re in the opposite direction.” He teased and smirked when said female kindred hissed at him.</p><p>“He blabbered so much about you <em>staying</em>, I found it strange to smell you outside.” She retorted looking at them with disgust.</p><p>Sungmin opened his mouth in an ‘O’ shape and nodded. “He said I am not needed right now. He actually almost killed me to craft the blade,” Sungmin shuddered just for the dramatic effect but then smiled sheepishly giving Mishra’s exposed neck a short kiss. “We needed some privacy as well… You know inside a cave whatever you do is louder than what it’s supposed to be, so we agreed ‘intimate times are to be done outside’ when it’s me and Mishra. Elena is too sensible to be naked in the snow,” He hinted. Shanti made a disgusted face at the couple while Natasha merely grimaced. As Sungmin expected Zoe had smiled fondly if only for a brief moment.</p><p>The three kindreds decided to leave them to their business and head back to where the cave was, but after they took two steps away Sungmin spoke again. “I don’t think the Artisan will talk with you. He is in the process of finishing my sword, he is not even speaking with Sahyoun and she is his companion. I think you’ll have to wait till he is done.” Mishra giggled as they both heard Shanti growl loudly.</p><p>The next step was up to the others. The three bodyguards cautiously entered the cave not knowing what to expect this time around. “Should we try following them? They ruined the mood after all.” Sungmin questioned fixing his gaze on Mishra.</p><p>“Nah. They are supposed to send Zoe looking for us again. Let’s enjoy ourselves so she can find us in a more realistic scenario.”  She replied already leaving butterfly kisses along Sungmin’s neck.</p><p>Before meeting Mishra, Sungmin had never really bothered to have a woman in his bed, yet now it felt strange not to share it with her. Sungmin decided that for the sake of his plan Mishra was right so they continued what they were doing before being interrupted. Sungmin decided that there was something to intimate touches like that, that made things get oh so much better. It was strange and it took Sungmin some time to notice but Mishra’s smell got slightly different whenever they were being that intimate, it would become better in his opinion. He knew all about the rules about feeding on other vampires, that it was something forbidden but he figured his curiosity was taking once again the best out of him.</p><p>“Can I taste you?” He asked in between groans. Mishra was completely lightheaded and didn’t get what he actually meant.</p><p>“Aren’t you already?” she replied breathlessly digging her fingernails in Sungmin’s back.</p><p>“Your blood. I want to taste it.” Sungmin reinforced hopping Mishra wouldn’t misunderstand him, but she couldn’t care less.</p><p>“Make it good.” She replied then and Sungmin didn’t hold back. He sank his teeth in the skin of her neck and drank. The taste was bad but not as worse as when they were not being intimate. He had licked her wounds once in an attempt to help heal her faster so he had tasted her blood then. It was simply disgusting, yet it was more nourishing than a human blood. He believed every kindred agreed not to drink each other’s blood because delectableness was much more welcome.</p><p>Sungmin and Mishra were completely lost in their pleasure to register Zoe coming back as planned to get them back into the cave. She shrieked when she saw the scene. The newborn detached himself from Mishra and lazily looked up at a horrified Zoe.</p><p>“What do you think you’re doing?!” Zoe demanded already pulling her sword out.</p><p>But Mishra growled in annoyance.</p><p>“What do <em>you</em> think you’re doing?! Twice you interrupt us!” the gangrel protested because hell Sungmin had never offered her so much pleasure, she was all for him biting her from then on.</p><p>Zoe looked dumbfounded at the two still half-naked kindreds under the tree. “You?” she tried to form a coherent question but couldn’t.</p><p>Mishra sighed while Sungmin just chuckled. “You know, Zoe, I have a very sensitive palate and I just concluded the more you pleasure your partner the best the blood becomes.” Sungmin tried to explain the situation glad he wouldn’t have to act.</p><p>“And seriously, I never felt so good before. Min, you’re doing that from now on. I want to bite you too,” Mishra purred cuddling closer. “Aww, Zoe, seriously, when you find a companion try this out. If he stands the bad taste of a kindred, you’ll go beyond cloud nine.” She added in between giggles. Zoe instantly stiffened.</p><p>“I already have a companion,” The bodyguard countered with an annoyed voice this time around. “And he wouldn’t bite me just for pleasure.”</p><p>Mishra looked at her with all the innocence she could muster, while Sungmin cleared his throat looking everywhere but at Zoe. It seemed to trigger something else in the Deva. She huffed. “Sungmin, you know I am Prince Andreas companion.” She narrowed her eyes at him and Sungmin loosened his grip on Mishra to be able to pay more attention to the other kindred.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Zoe, before I met Mishra I believed in that, but now…” He started cautiously. “I don’t think he sees you as a companion, he surely trusts you but I don’t think he loves you.”</p><p>Zoe clenched her fists and scoffed. “What do you know? You’re just a newborn.” She countered and Sungmin noticed the glint of doubt in her eyes, being played for such a long time he was sure from time to time she would waver, all of them would waver, but Andreas was a highly skilled Deva, of course he was able to trap them back easily.</p><p>“I may be just a newborn, but I know all about the glint in Mishra’s eyes when she looks at me, even before meeting her I would see every day, every minute how longingly Chungyeol looks at Elena and how Elena looks just as longingly at him. I can see your affection towards Prince Andreas, Zoe, I don’t doubt you love him… but I don’t see him looking back at you with such eyes.” Sungmin replied with a softy voice, putting in his tone how sorry he was for her, it must be extremely awful not to be loved back by the one you love so deeply.</p><p>“Are you implying he looks at someone else with loving eyes?” Zoe shrieked losing her patience and probably regretting how close she allowed herself to get with Daroll’s coven. Sure enough more than once she had felt jealous of Elena – a mere blood doll – for the amount of affection she received from Chungyeol. She sincerely wanted Andreas to so openly love her, but he had to tame the other five bodyguards, it would be troublesome if they went against him.</p><p>Sungmin kept looking with those sorry eyes at her, but it was Mishra who replied. “He doesn’t, Zoe. I don’t think he loves anyone other than himself.”</p><p>The Deva smirked. “You just don’t see us alone. That’s it. I am his companion. He just keeps the others because they are useful, he is lying to them, not to me. It would be troublesome if they were to start going against his wishes. The best way to tame someone is to fake love.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if <em>you</em> were to go against his wishes? I’m sorry, Zoe. But you are still to find a companion, because Prince Andreas is not in love with you,” Mishra retorted. “I believe he is lying to all six of you.”</p><p>Zoe felt those words slapping her. These past few weeks Andreas had indeed been spending less and less time with her, and she was getting insecure. But they had to be wrong, Prince Andreas loved her, she would just have to prove it to them.</p><p>“He loves me.” She retorted but the words sounded weak in her own ears.</p><p>Sungmin shook his head indicating he disagreed with her, Mishra made herself comfortable before speaking. “Have you ever fought with any of the other bodyguards?” she asked causing Zoe to frown.</p><p>“Of course not! He needs them to have a better control of the territory. Why would I keep him from his tools?”</p><p>“When I saw the werewolf almost killing Mishra I was really mad, Zoe, Chungyeol hyung treats Elena like his most important treasure. I don’t see Andreas worrying for any of you like that,” Sungmin internally smirked at how well his plan was going. “Tools can be replaced. Companions can’t.”</p><p>Zoe’s expression darkened. “I’ll prove you he loves me,” She turned around. “The Artisan wants you back. I think your sword is done.”</p><p>Sungmin and Mishra hurriedly re-dressed themselves and walked back to the cave along with Zoe, none of them spoke after that. Once they were all inside the hall Natasha pulled Zoe to a side and hissed asking what had taken so long, but the other did not reply.</p><p>The Artisan was holding on to a silvery sword as he silently looked at all the people in his presence. He then beckoned Sungmin to get close. “There you go,” He extended the double sword to Sungmin who marveled at the intricate runes and decorations in it. The pommel was rather simple in the shape of a three-leaf-clover and there was a tassel connected to it, its color as deep as the blood, the handle seemed to have a very delicate lace decorating it, yet Sungmin knew there was no clothe there, only very thin pieces of metal connecting in each other leaving empty spaces in an intricate design of two entwined dragons. The guards had been designed in the shape of two mirrored dragons, so detailed that Sungmin could even distinguish the scales and then there was the blades, shining blue-ish because of what he learned to be spiritual fire, there were runes carved in the blade that could only be seen at certain angles and only if one really paid attention. That double sword was just fabulous.</p><p>“I call it Bloedvuur,” The Artisan spoke as Sungmin gaped looking at his new weapon. A secret smirk was playing on his lips as all eyes had been set in that particular weapon, all but one pair that was looking at the Bloody Sword up the table. “We shall test it,” The Artisan clapped. “If one of you win against Sungmin in a spar, I’ll give you the Bloody Sword.” The Antediluvian said looking at both Natasha and Zoe. The two had distinct reactions, the first smirked thinking it would be rather easy task while the other stiffened and frowned.</p><p>“I’ll fight.” Natasha promptly took a step ahead and thought it strange Zoe had not said anything, but she disregarded it as Sungmin locked gazes with her. The two kindreds took position, Natasha had a rapier and she positioned herself in a very lady like position. Sungmin crouched down and with a smirk separated the two swords, positioning himself to start dancing. Natasha narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Two slashing swords against her stabbing, she would have to be extra fast, but she didn’t doubt she would win.</p><p>Sungmin made the first move, jumping ahead and feinting, Natasha defended herself and dodged with grace, but whenever she thought Sungmin had opened up his guard her sword would hit the air. It was always millimeters that separated her rapier from perforating Sungmin, his movements were fast and graceful, he was indeed dancing and despite the fact that Natasha knew all the sword-dance moves she quickly noticed Sungmin was using them in his own rhythm. Natasha was starting to lose her patience and it was exactly what Sungmin wanted. She opened her guard enough for him to slash her arm.</p><p>Natasha hissed in pain as she felt her whole arm was on fire, the burning sensation was numbing and she had no other choice but to skip away, the amount of blood coming out was also not normal. Sungmin had clearly seen the blood flying in the air after the blade as if it was attracting the blood like a magnet. He didn’t only see the blood but he felt the blood, as if he had tasted it in his mouth and the vitae had nourished him even if just very slightly. It felt almost like feeding through his sword.</p><p>It took a moment for the both kindreds to understand what had happened, Sungmin’s eyes turned red as if he had just fed and Natasha became wary because of that. Her arm still felt like it had been burnt but she had to keep on fighting. They went after each other, the sounds of metal against metal were the only things heard. Natasha managed to stab Sungmin twice, but the newborn had given Natasha five more slashes. At one point Sungmin crouched down and tripped Natasha, she fell on her back and the next thing she knew Sungmin had one of his swords on her neck.</p><p>She had lost to a newborn.</p><p>The Artisan clapped, Sungmin reluctantly stood up and distanced himself from Natasha. The more he had managed to slash the other kindred the more Sungmin felt like shedding her blood, it was something like an addiction forming and he feared that.</p><p>“Does Bloedvuur mean anything?” Sungmin asked with trembling hands as he tried to fuse the swords in one and put it in its deep red scabbard.</p><p>“It means Fire Blood. The one holding the sword absorbs the foe’s vitae with each slash, the one being slashed feels on fire despite none being there. A fabulous sword indeed, yet it has a price for the owner: his sanity. The more it tastes blood the more blood you’ll want, if you cannot control yourself you’ll end up killing unceremoniously just for the feel of the vitae. Would you be able to tame this sword, Sungmin?” the Artisan explained with a teasing tone. Sungmin had a strong liking to drink blood out and about, just for the sake of feeling the different tastes, with a sword like that he was doomed to only have problems in the future with taming his thirst.</p><p>Daroll had moved to help Natasha, as the female kindred was even more dumbfounded after hearing and feeling what the sword could do. She had failed, but there was still a chance to get the Bloody Sword. Zoe could win now that she knew what she had to avoid. But as the kindred looked around in search for the other bodyguard she was horrified for not seeing her there.</p><p>“Where’s Zoe?” she asked in disbelief. The Artisan watched as other kindreds and humans present looked around and immediately noticed Zoe was indeed not there, as well as the Bloody Sword. The artisan snorted at the pretense written in Daroll’s coven member’s face. They had somehow planned that.</p><p>“I’ve lived for so long, and yet nobody has ever dared to <em>steal</em> from me,” The Artisan spoke dully causing everyone present to look at him.</p><p>Natasha was too dumbstruck to even fully process the situation. It was Sungmin who spoke, it was time to make Natasha turn to their side. “That’s not stealing…” he dared with a small voice.</p><p>“What did you say, child? How come this is not stealing?” the artisan thundered causing Natasha to stiffen and Sungmin to shudder, but he ‘gathered his courage’ to reply.</p><p> “Zoe trusts Natasha. She surely thought there couldn’t be a way for a newborn to win against an experienced kindred. She just took the Sword for granted and took off with it. She told me Prince Andreas was getting impatient so she must have thought it was ok.” Sungmin explained his point and Natasha got the meaning of it, Sungmin was trying to save both of them from the Artisan’s fury.</p><p>“I only see the fact that I’ve been stolen and nobody steals from me. I just granted you a very special gift, Sungmin, you can return the favor now. Bring me the head of the one that dared to even consider stealing from me,” The Artisan ordered. “I am sending you as an Avenger in my name to get back that Bloody Sword.” And Sungmin smiled inwardly at the order.</p><p>Being an Avenger he could decide who was at fault and execute his own judgment. “It’s too much an honor.” Sungmin bowed.</p><p>But then the Artisan pointed a slender finger Natasha’s way. “Start with that one.” He ordered sternly.</p><p>The Deva panicked. “I didn’t do anything! It was not me who took the Sword away!” she defended herself looking pleadingly at Sungmin.</p><p>“She’s right. Artisan, you had said that if Natasha or Zoe were to win against me they could keep the sword. I did not fight with Zoe, so I can’t consider her a thief, she can still win the sword. If I find her and she refuses to fight, stating she had indeed considered stealing I will do as you ordered and bring the head of the one responsible.” Sungmin bowed and awaited for a reply, his plan was going much better than what he thought, this way he could just have Prince Andreas’ head and not sacrifice any of this bodyguards, well maybe only those that insist in not seeing the truth.</p><p>The Artisan snorted once again. “I gave you the right to judge. Do as you said,”</p><p>Sungmin smirked and without a second word back, turned around and left the cave running back to the city, the rest of the plan had to go well.</p><p>Soon he noticed Mishra was running beside him and Natasha was trying to go along but she was too injured to tag along. Daroll and Chungyeol had followed her and forced her to stay behind, promising nothing bad would happen, but she couldn’t accept that, so in a slower pace she also went back. In face of her adamant decision Chungyeol went back to the cave to wait along with Elena and Jia, for it would be too tiresome for them to go back and forth like that, Daroll and Natasha followed back to the capital.</p><p>Sungmin had set a strong pace, forcing himself to stand the sun and his sleepiness. He had to be like his sire, sleeping much less than other vampires, yet it was just not as easy as he thought.</p><p>Three days later there he was once again in front of Prince Andreas' court. He and Mishra made their way inside ignoring anyone questioning what they wanted. Meanwhile driven by a strong desire to know the truth Zoe had hushed back to the Prince. The moment she was seen approaching, the ways towards the main hall were opened. Andreas was smiling when Zoe stood in front of him. The first thing the female Deva saw was a terrified Isabelle on her knees beside Andreas chair, the human was tied up and crying.</p><p>"I see you did not disappoint me, Zoe. I should have sent you the first time." Andreas congratulated but the female did not smile. She held the sword with a stronger grip before she took a step ahead and extended the weapon to her master.</p><p>Andreas found it strange she had not blabbered about it being clear she would be the one. The prince did not notice as well that Natasha was not there. He didn’t care either, everything became insignificant in the presence of that awaited sword. Prince Andreas admired the scabbard and with care pulled the sword out. But the moment he did so he felt his hand burning, therefore he let go of it instantly. He cursed not knowing what had happened. Zoe watched dumbfounded and hurriedly took hold of it and placed it back in its scabbard.</p><p>"Why can you hold It but I can't?! What is the meaning of this?!" Prince Andreas demanded with an extremely angered tone.</p><p>"I... I don't know my prince..." Zoe started suddenly fearing what was to come, she looked over at the human and wondered how fiercely Sungmin would fight for her. Would Andreas defend her? Or throw her away if he thinks she’s not useful anymore. Why were Sungmin’s words revolving in her head like that?</p><p>She was not left to wonder for long, Prince Andreas had been shouting and demanding her to explain what had happened and why he couldn't hold the sword, she had tried to explain she had no idea why but was interrupted by the door being rudely opened.</p><p>"The only one that can permanently hold that sword is the donator of the blood. Anyone else can only hold it with the will to kill." Sungmin explained with a neutral tone.</p><p>Prince Andreas looked at him surprised but then smirked when he noticed the newborn was looking at his human sister. Sungmin had his eyes instantly falling over Isabelle because her horrified expression turned into one of surprise at seeing him enter the room. Despite it being thirty years it was clear she still remembered his features, she surely recognized him. Sungmin fought with himself to remain calm and pretend he didn't know who she was.</p><p>"Zoe, the artisan did not approve of you taking the Bloody Sword away while Natasha was still giving her try. She lost, therefore that sword does not belong to any of you. You are to fight with me and only if you win you can keep the sword." Sungmin spoke with an impartial tone totally disregarding Isabelle’s presence in the room.</p><p>Andreas gritted his teeth at the lack of reaction from the newborn but also at the implications of his words and he turned to face Zoe. "You stole the sword?!" he shouted at her. That was not the outcome he was looking for.</p><p>"Natasha didn't stand a chance against Sungmin’s new sword. I wouldn't either, therefore while nobody was paying attention to me I took it and came back as fast as I could." Zoe replied with a hurt tone, Andreas would never raise his voice like that with her.</p><p>"Does it mean you are not going to fight to gain the sword, Zoe?" Sungmin butted in still extremely composed and neutral.</p><p>Prince Andreas scoffed at the newborn. "What if it's like that? The mythical swords had been stolen from countless kindreds over the years. It's not considered a crime." Andreas shoot triumphant and for a moment Zoe entertained the thought that Prince Andreas was defending her.</p><p>"Indeed it is not considered a crime to steal weapons. But the Artisan took it as a personal offense. He gave me the order to bring back to him the head of the one responsible for this." Sungmin replied calmly as if he was saying good morning.</p><p>Andreas hissed in annoyance. "The Artisan proclaimed you an Avenger for his honor?!" Sungmin nodded as reply and without missing a beat the prince snarled. "Then what are you waiting for?! Zoe is over there, take her head to the Artisan, Agatha and Jade will go with you to see him." Zoe tensed up in half disbelief.</p><p> ‘Wouldn’t it be troublesome if <span class="u">you</span> were to go against his wishes? I’m sorry, Zoe. But you are still to find a companion, because Prince Andreas is not in love with you.’</p><p>‘When I saw the werewolf almost killing Mishra I was really mad, Zoe, Chungyeol hyung treats Elena like his most important treasure. I don’t see Andreas worrying for any of you like that.’</p><p>She was sure now. Sungmin had been right all along. She wouldn't mind dying now that she knew her love was just an illusion.</p><p>Yet Sungmin shook his head with a wide smirk. "I am not taking her head. I was ordered to take the head of the one responsible for the action and in my point of view the one responsible is you, Prince Andreas." The newborn replied with a petulant tone.</p><p>Prince Andreas was left dumbfounded looking at Sungmin with hatred, while Zoe was looking at him in disbelief. "By any chance was it me who went to the Artisan and stole the sword?! How could it be me if I was here all the time torturing your precious sister?!" the prince retorted with an angered shout, not quite believing the accusation and expecting Sungmin to lose his cool with the statement. But the newborn was the epitome of calmness.</p><p>"You. Sent her to the Artisan. You. Involved her with lies about being her companion. You. Made her believe she was doing right. If <em>you</em>had not sent her, no sword would have been stolen, more importantly Zoe wouldn't have visited the Artisan. How can I not consider <em>you</em> responsible?" Sungmin looked at Zoe then. "Did you steal it because you wanted to have the sword, Zoe?" his tone became soft and kind, very different from the harsh tone he had used for the Prince.</p><p>Zoe seemed to gain courage, a sense of self-protection she hadn't felt for a long time. "I do not want this sword. I only stole it because my master had ordered me to do anything to bring it back to him. There were no mentions of worrying about the consequences of the means I used. I am but a tool to my master." she replied with confidence and a cold tone.</p><p>Prince Andreas hissed at her. “A tool I should have disposed off much sooner!” and the next second he was slashing his own sword against her. Sungmin had advanced with his own double sword in hand, but Zoe had used the Bloody Sword to defend herself.</p><p>The clangs of metal against metal called the attention of the other bodyguards. They had listened to the exchange waiting for an order that never came but it was their duty to protect the Prince.</p><p>Isabelle let out a muffled scream when Shanti and Ilvy attacked Sungmin, but her brother was no longer just a sword dancer, he defended himself with grace attacking with precise movements. In a moment he was fighting alone and in the other the human woman saw he was no longer alone. Zoe was trying to defend herself against Andreas, retreating the best she could to closer to Sungmin, Mishra had joined the fight and was standing her ground against Agatha and Jade.</p><p>Isabelle couldn’t tell how long the fight lasted, all she could see was blurry movements but suddenly the door was once again opened revealing the one she knew as Park Junghwa and another woman she didn’t know that was clearly wounded. The three of them witnessed that Mishra had stacked Agatha with a dagger and Sungmin had had no other option but to decapitate Ilvy. At Some point Zoe had exchanged foes with Sungmin who was then fighting the Prince. The battle was over when Andreas felt Bloedvuur’s bite. The surprise of feeling his wounds on fire allowed Sungmin to stab the Prince near his heart. Unprotected and dizzy it was easy to decapitate the prince.</p><p>Jade shouted in horror, Shanti stopped abruptly not defending herself from Zoe’s attack. The fight was suddenly over when Andreas went down, his blood dripping from Sungmin’s twin blades.</p><p>Sungmin kept staring down at Prince Andreas body lying there decapitated. The amount of energy running through him was incredible but as the seconds passed it diminished and soon was back at his normal strength. He looked over his shoulder then in the direction of Daroll who nodded at him in approval.</p><p>“Jade, Shanti,” He called with a stern voice. “I know you heard everything. Now Andreas is no longer a Prince you don’t have to fight anymore,” He reasoned hopping that now that they were no longer under Andreas manipulations they could see how much they had been led on.</p><p>The two frowned and hissed his way, attacking him. Sungmin dodged with a sad expression, he really didn’t want to kill them but the two were filled with hatred and wish for vengeance.</p><p>“Jade! Shanti! Stop!” Natasha shouted in anguish and surprising enough the two obeyed, in fact they had been astonished by the fact that not only Zoe had betrayed their beloved Prince but Natasha as well.</p><p>“How do you dare say that?!”Jade shouted back. “He Killed our Prince! We have to kill him!” she continued turning back to Sungmin.</p><p>“Stop this useless fight!” Zoe shouted then with a pained expression. She fell on her knees hiding her face with her hands. Natasha ran to her. While coming back with Daroll the two kindreds had a heartfelt discussion about what was happening and the female had her eyes open to Zoe’s pain and the absurdity of the fact Andreas had controlled the six of them with the same plain lie.</p><p>“We have no obligations towards a dead Prince!” Natasha shouted at the two.</p><p>Jade and Shanti turned to her livid with anger. “He was my companion!” the two shouted at the same time, and then they were glaring at each other. Natasha frowned and shook her head as once again it was clear how much they had been brainwashed.</p><p>“Can’t you see?!” Zoe suddenly spoke. “When alone he would kiss and caress and swear we are his companion, but he never loved any of us. He knew we would do anything for him if we believed we were doing that for our companion. He misled all of us. ‘You are my one and only. But I can’t show favoritism for the other’s may betray me’,” Zoe snorted looking at the two kindreds and then at Sungmin. “He was ordered by an antediluvian, he is the Avenger, not us.” She continued. She looked in Sungmin’s eyes for a while before looking at Natasha and closing her eyes.</p><p>Meanwhile Jade and Shanti were thrown in disbelief, the quoted line hitting them hard, they looked at each other, back at the decapitated Ilvy and the staked Agatha. Those roles could be all twisted and the outcome would have been the same.</p><p>“Who is going to be the Prince now?” Natasha wondered now that Zoe had finally held her back. Nobody dared to reply to that but it seemed no more fights would happen so Sungmin finally turned back to Isabelle who cowered as he approached her. She couldn’t deny she was scared shitless. The man walking to her looked exactly like her brother, until then she had the illusion it was Vincent in front of her. But how could it be? Her brother had died a good thirty years back, if it was him he shouldn’t be looking his twenties still, more importantly he wouldn’t have those scary red eyes.</p><p>While walking, Sungmin put his swords back in its scabbard and then pulled a small dagger out. Isabelle whimpered as he kneeled in one knee in front of her, his face was serious as he looked her in the eyes. The human frowned as they kept staring at each other, her heart beating erratically because the more she looked the more she felt her brother was there in front of her. She snapped out of her thoughts when he placed the dagger behind her ear and used it to cut the muzzle covering her mouth.</p><p>She whimpered again while he was at it and Sungmin looked down at her with a comforting expression. “It’s ok. I am not going to hurt you.” He spoke softly and Isabelle had her heart going on rampant. His tone. Vincent’s loving tone. It had been so long since the last time she heard it but she was sure she would never be able to forget it.</p><p>“Vincent…” She whispered in disbelief, in hopes he would smile and call her his baby sister. But there was no smile, no sign of recognition from his part, he simply moved to cut the ropes around her wrist and ankles. Only after she was free did he look back at her and replied to her call. “Did they do anything to you?”</p><p>Isabelle frowned but still replied with a small shaken voice. “Agatha… gave me some tea… I blacked out and when I woke up I was here… I don’t know… I don’t think they did anything… Andreas kept on saying he would torture me… when a certain special guest would arrive… was he talking about you, Vincent?” She asked not keeping herself from jumping that man in front of her and locking him in a tight embrace. He was real.</p><p>“I am sorry, but I am not this Vincent you keep on talking about. My name is Sungmin.” The kindred replied trying not to sound impolite, it pained him to say such a thing, but he didn’t want her to think he had come back from the dead. Isabelle felt her heart drop at his reply, but at the mention of the name she let go of him, an accusing expression on her face.</p><p>“Don’t you lie to me, <em>oppa</em>,” she scolded halfheartedly. “Chungyeol used to call you ‘Sungmin’ back then… what happened to you? Why didn’t you age? Why are your eyes so red? If you’re alive why did you disappear? I missed you so much!” Isabelle continued, tears freely falling as she held Sungmin once again. He should have known, Isabelle always had an outstanding memory, they had always loved each other so much, he was deluding himself thinking she wouldn’t recognize him.</p><p>“Isabelle… I am not alive… I am no longer the brother you loved and that loved you so much. Vincent is dead. Keep on living safely, be faithful to your husband, he is a good man, take care of your family, don’t waste time thinking about the past. Let the dead worry about the dead. Keep Vincent as what he is, just a memory.” Sungmin told her with a sad voice, she was about to protest and ask again but she suddenly forgot what she was going to say, there was a light pressure in her neck and then memories of Vincent flooded her head. She breathed his name before she passed out, falling limp in Sungmin’s awaiting arms.</p><p>The next moment Daroll was crouching beside him with a sad smile. “I’ll miss them so much, hyung.” Sungmin spoke with his face buried in Isabelle’s hair.</p><p>“I know. But I know that if you had to do it all again you still would.” The younger looked at his sire then, with a pained expression. For the sake of protecting Isabelle and Victor he would do anything and everything again without a second thought.</p><p>Zoe and the other bodyguards watched the exchange with mixed feelings, they couldn’t remember anyone being that sweet and caring with them. A few hours back most of them would have thought of Prince Andreas, but then he had become just someone that had thoroughly used them.</p><p>“Agatha kidnapped your sister while she was asleep, her husband and kids are frantically looking for her, even Frederick and Victor are looking for her.” Jade spoke with some sense of remorse.</p><p>It was bad news. He couldn’t just put her in her bed so they could pretend she had never left the room. Sungmin racked his brain for a solution and remembered Frederick had opened the tiger’s cave and built there a mausoleum in honor of his dead counselor that had been loyal till his death. He told the citizens it was some sort of compensation for the wrong way he died.</p><p>“Did they look for her at the tiger’s cave?” Sungmin asked then, easily pulling his sister up in his arms, her head resting over the crock of his neck.</p><p>Jade exchanged glances with Shanti before replying. “I don’t think so. It had been years since the last time they had gone pay ‘you’ a visit.” Sungmin smiled sadly at the reply. He couldn’t deny it hurts to know that his family was slowly forgetting him but at that moment it was a good thing.</p><p>“I’ll leave her there, Mishra, can you do something to take them there?” Sungmin stated without showing his hurt. The gangrel nodded and the two left the room, nobody daring to stop them. Daroll stayed behind to make sure nothing would happen to Andreas’ body. He picked up the head and looked at the horrified face.</p><p>“What shall we do about this?” he then asked more to himself than anything else.</p><p>“Sungmin is to bring the head back to the Artisan. As for the person to stand as Prince until further words from the Elders, Zoe is to lead the kindreds.” Sahyoun spoke in a monotone tone. All kindreds looked at the figure standing in front of the Prince’s chair, all of them too astonished to reply.</p><p>After a moment Zoe managed to ask softly. “Why me?” it was clear she would never expect such a thing. “The Artisan deemed you Worthy the Bloody Sword you brandished during the fight. Because of the one you loved, you betrayed your own blood. Because the one you loved betrayed you, you betrayed yourself. Until the Elders voice a verdict on your case, you are to rule this land.” Sahyoun replied with a strict tone before vanishing on thin air.</p><p>All eyes fell on Zoe then. “What did she mean by ‘betrayed your own blood’?” Shanti questioned and Natasha worriedly looked at Zoe. In fact she was the older among the bodyguards, the first Andreas had selected for his personal defense.</p><p>“When I first met Andreas… my parents had given my older sister to him in marriage, I had fallen for him back then and I felt an incredible hatred towards my sister when my father announced she had been the one Andreas had chosen among the three of his daughters.” Zoe started to explain with a small voice, finally standing up and looking at the dead body on the floor.</p><p>“I was the youngest, I knew my older sister was supposed to marry first, but I couldn’t allow her to marry the man I loved. I poisoned her with the thought that if she would be out of the picture Andreas would come to me. But he was to get engaged with my middle sister, she didn’t love him but she still accepted the marriage, she could have declined but for the sake of carrying on with our older sister’s heritage she accepted. I couldn’t accept that so I killed her as well.” Zoe smiled bitterly at the blurry memories.</p><p>“My father then dared to say I was too young to be given in marriage, Andreas had agreed with him and left. I became blinded by fury and so I poisoned my parents as well. I became the only survivor of what they called a sudden disease. Andreas came to offer me his condolences and I told him the only thing I wanted from him was his love. I told him everything, because remorse had started to eat on me, I hoped he would send me to the court and they would kill me as well, but he told me he was deeply touched by my devotion, he told me I was still too young but that he would keep me and would have me when the time was right,” Zoe walked to the body pulling out the Bloody Sword and noticing she could hold it just fine. Maybe, because even if Andreas was already dead she still had the will to kill him.</p><p>“He took me with him, cared for me and a few years later he embraced me, he promised me forever and I took it… I loved him so much…” She crouched beside the body. “I believed he loved me, but then he met Agatha… Ilvy… Shanti… Natasha… Jade… ‘I need them to protect the both of us’ he had told me… Now I can’t understand why he still kept me for so long… I had never been a good fighter like Ilvy or Shanti, Agatha had this outstanding skill to manipulate, Jade and Natasha are able to seduce like I never could… I never had anything to give him… because I was the plainer I believed he really loved me… otherwise why would he keep me?” She poured her heart then stabbing the dead body with her sword at every name mentioned.</p><p>Zoe had left all of them dumbfounded with her confession. Shanti, Natasha and Jade looked at the older kindred in another perspective. She had killed her sisters and her parents, blood of her blood. She could have let them fight and die like Ilvy had died, yet she pleaded them to stop, would it mean she had saved them?</p><p>“I think I know why, Zoe,” Daroll said then putting a hand on her shoulder and helping the kindred up and away from the body. She looked at him quizzically and he merely smiled down at her. “You had killed your family, if Andreas had whispered to you to kill any of his bodyguards you would have done so without anyone finding out you were behind it. If any of them were to betray him he had you to protect him without making a fuss. If you were to betray him he knew you wouldn’t be strong enough to win against the other five of them if they openly came after you. He knew the value of your love, but used it in the wrong way.” Daroll tried to comfort her then. Zoe frowned, as she couldn’t deny the logic. As the Artisan said she betrayed herself by choosing his death over her afterlife.</p><p>She had emptied herself so much to the point only Andreas mattered, he became her everything and without him she would have certainly killed herself, but at the mere idea that Andreas had never seen her as anything but a tool had hurt deeply, yet she still loved him despite being used. As realization hit she believed that there was nothing left for her but death. Why would she keep on living without the one she loved or without being loved back? She had been ready to die, yet Sungmin said the one to die was not her but the Prince. Andreas was her everything, she betrayed herself by going against the things she lived for, for a good two thousand years, she betrayed herself by fighting back and helping to kill Andreas. She had chosen to deny her love as the one she loved had always denied her.</p><p>If before none of them knew exactly what to do, now they had decided over a reaction. Natasha had been the first to kneel in front of Zoe. “I am a free Kindred now, I swear loyalty to my Princess, Zoe. It would be my pleasure to stay by her side as her bodyguard.” Zoe couldn’t do anything but smile at those words, but she was not expecting to see Jade and Shanti do the same a few moments after.</p><p>Zoe welcomed them with open arms. If once she had hated them for taking Andreas away from her, at that moment she was happy they were free from such a heartbreaking illusion. They were sorry for Ilvy wouldn’t have that chance but as Agatha had only been staked they decided to wake her up and let her decide over her future.</p><p>Daroll bid them a short goodbye as he took with him Andreas head. He found Sungmin still at the tiger’s cave, watching with Mishra from a distance as Victor and Isabelle’s husband found her and took her back home. She kept on telling them she had dreamt with Vincent, she had missed him so much and so suddenly she couldn’t even remember how she got to the cave, but there she had a really vivid dream with him.</p><p>It took the young kindred a lot of willpower to leave them behind and go back to the Artisan with Andreas’ head.</p><p>“You didn’t disappoint me, child. You are to entertain me in the future as much as Daroll and Chungyeol.” The artisan congratulated as he picked the head in his hands. “A plan created in the spur of a moment, yet changed so many afterlives. Daroll has really formidable eyes to select his progeny.” The Antediluvian kept on musing as he threw the head to burn in that spiritual fire.</p><p>“One last lesson: You do not have two swords, Bloedvuur is one. If you lose a half you lose everything. The twin blades are to be wielded together, always,” The artisan said with a teasing tone as he shooed them out of his hideout. “I’ll be watching you, kid,” he reminded.</p><p>Daroll didn’t like the sound of that, didn’t like the fact that he once again felt it was not the last time he would meet with the Artisan. For one last time Sungmin visited his human family at night. One definite and final goodbye. The next day they were travelling to the southeast. Back to Socheon for yet a new start.</p><p>It had been four songs arriving at the cold lands of the north, and six leaving to head to a new ‘home’. Daroll couldn’t imagine at that moment he would have so little time to get used to the new melodies in his requiem before one was to be lost and another one would be added into it. He didn’t know Sungmin had been his key to unimaginable dreams to come true.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Vijfde Lied – The Fifth Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daroll felt glad to be back at the southeast, despite spending five years on the way back from Sungmin’s homeland so Mishra could adjust to the way a Dragon should live.</p><p>The meeting with Prince Daehyun was slightly uncomfortable, because Mishra was still a delicate matter. Somehow Daroll didn't want to keep an act about companionship. The things they learned at Astaria left them cautious about the matter.</p><p>"You seriously accepted a gangrel to be part of your coven, Daroll? This is very uncharacteristic of you." the prince started with caution, he had never forgotten Daroll's last words to him. 'I gave you the prince title, you owe me what you have now.'</p><p>"Mishra professed the vows and so far she only gave me reasons to trust her. I take responsibility for her." Daroll replied with a serious tone.</p><p>Daehyun sighed. "Do as you please, we have an agreement I never forgot about, Daroll. Are you going to remain here at the capital?" the prince enquired.</p><p>"No. We will travel east to live at the limits of the territory, at the old capital of prince Woohan." Daroll replied shortly and Daehyun understood the choice. That city had grown even if it was still smaller than the city they were at, but it was once the capital of Chungyeol’s feud when he was still human, the place had an emotional appeal to Daroll’s coven.</p><p>Right after that audience, Daroll’s coven traveled to the east, once again getting themselves a small farm to administer despite the fact that they decided to have a house to live at, at the city.</p><p>Sungmin and Mishra no longer spoke about being each other's companion, though more often than not they shared a bed. Sungmin fell in a routine of visiting cabarets to feed in between pleasure with those human women. Mishra somehow followed his footsteps seducing men around and feeding on them more often than she did on animals.</p><p>They faced almost sixty years of peace. The only bigger troubles were a few remnants of kindreds still loyal to the previous prince and resentful over the fact Chungyeol had killed him.</p><p>It had been a rather typical night, Sungmin decided to try out a new cabaret at the Red Light Street. He found himself sitting at a table eyeing the young ladies who were flirting with him. They were beautiful, a few didn’t seem to be from the Southeast and more importantly they just smelled deliciously. It was somehow lonely to visit cabarets since Chungyeol was too faithful to Elena, Jia was too faithful to Chungyeol and Daroll simply didn’t seem to be interested in the opposite sex at all.</p><p>He was studying this rather young brunet girl when five other girls were introduced to the main hall, three looking slightly apprehensive. Yet Sungmin’s eyes didn’t really pay attention to those young and maybe too young girls, his eyes had been drawn like a magnet to a dark blonde girl, slightly shorter than him. She didn’t have the most appealing smell, she wasn’t even the most beautiful in his eyes, yet she somehow seemed familiar. He felt his insides burn like he had been reunited with someone important, and what scared him the most was the fact just one name came to his mind while looking at the human girl: Lauren.</p><p>Sungmin couldn’t understand that feeling of familiarity, that girl had no resemblance whatsoever with his aunt, her smell was also not the same yet he still heard a nagging voice inside of him calling that human Lauren. The owner of the cabaret noticed his stare and approached him.</p><p>“Sir, I notice you admiring my Summer, would you like to take a taste of her heat?” the man asked with a malicious tone and Sungmin shivered, the proposal sounded so bizarre because his only thought was ‘how could I have relations with my aunt?’.</p><p>“Ah, no… I am not interested in her… she just reminds me of someone. I actually want that brunet over there with that bottle of wine. She looks tastier to me.” Sungmin replied trying to push aside the disgusting idea of going to bed with someone that made him think of someone so dear and precious as his aunt.</p><p>That night the youngest vampire sated both kinds of hunger, he had spent a few days at the farm and also away from Mishra who was always willing to go to bed with him, yet at the back of his head he really couldn’t take that Summer girl out of his thoughts. From time to time he would take in a deeper longer sniff just to locate her. He knew she was serving a customer and the idea made him feel disturbed.</p><p>The next few days he would always go back to that same cabaret, always glance at Summer and how she flirted with customers before being taken to a room. He couldn’t understand why he felt so bad about it or why that feeling of familiarity only grew with time. Sungmin even called Mishra one day and pointed Summer to her, asking if that girl seemed familiar to her, but the gangrel shook her head. “I don’t really pay attention to females, Sungmin, I’m sorry.”</p><p>He turned quiet and pensive for a few more days causing the other members of the coven to notice something must had been off.</p><p>“Sungmin, is there something troubling you?” Daroll asked as Sungmin was sitting on the cushions in their living room, holding on to a book he had stopped reading some half an hour ago. Sungmin looked at his sire because he couldn’t dismiss that concerned tone. In moments like those Daroll reminded himself he still had to master the ability to know the answers to his questions without replies, Sungmin could already do that with humans but with Kindreds it was much more difficult, it was slightly frustrating.</p><p>“There’s something I don’t really know how to explain.” Sungmin started and Daroll sat more comfortably on his cushion.</p><p>“Start from the start. What happened?” Daroll enquired softly and Sungmin sighed.</p><p>“A few days back I’ve been to this cabaret that opened last month,” Sungmin started and somehow he felt slightly uncomfortable, he had suddenly remembered how Daroll was so strangely attached to his beloved Empress Lauren, should he really be talking about that matter? Daroll beckoned him to continue as the younger had suddenly gone mute. “The thing is… there was this girl called Summer, no matter how long I stared at her and enumerate reasons to prove I am delusional, I still think she reminds me of my aunt.”</p><p>Sungmin didn’t know exactly what to think as he saw Daroll widening his eyes and staring at his younger progeny in shock. Even less, when his expression changed again to one of sorrow. “Are you going to that cabaret tonight?” Daroll questioned simply and Sungmin nodded, not trusting his voice to answer. Even if he desperately wanted to know what was going on in his sire’s head, Sungmin couldn’t find a way to guess.</p><p>That night the two of them plus Chungyeol exited the house in the direction of the cabaret. The two older kindreds had conversed for hours after that small exchange between Sungmin and Daroll and as they left, none had explained why Chungyeol was going along, yet the tension in the air had made it clear they didn’t want to be questioned.</p><p>At the cabaret the three of them sat at a table more to the corner. Sungmin had discreetly pointed to Summer yet he didn’t know there was no need for it, Chungyeol and Daroll had instantly known who Sungmin had been talking about. That aura was unmistakable, though Chungyeol had only seen it thrice he was sure he would always recognize her. To him his base of comparison was not Empress Lauren but another hooker by the name of Hazel. That woman was Daroll’s wife’s new reincarnation.</p><p>Chungyeol sighed. Daroll momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath before whispering. “Less than a century, it had been the fastest leap. I am late once again.”</p><p>Sungmin frowned at the two reactions and whispered with a shaking voice. “What do you mean?” he was once again afraid he had somehow done something wrong, yet Chungyeol smiled sadly at him and patted his head.</p><p>“It’s a long story, Sungmin, one that cannot be shortened and one that cannot be told in here. Tomorrow we’ll explain this to you. I am going home.” Chungyeol’s tone had been kind and also slightly sad, it made Sungmin have no will to remain in there as well. He had just said he was going back with him when he was shocked for a second time that night, Daroll had called the owner and requested the dark blond woman known as Summer.</p><p>The younger had completely lost his ground and was about to ask what was going on when Chungyeol elbowed him. “Don’t question, you’ll understand tomorrow.” The second oldest said still with a soft tone, beckoning him to go back home with him. It was more than clear Daroll would stay.</p><p>And he stayed till the next morning, he had spent the night reuniting with the soul he had missed so much, always missed so much. Sungmin didn’t want to be a pushover and corner his sire right after he entered home, but all the members of the coven could see he was restless. The day had seemed to pass by too slowly, but finally two hours after the humans had lunch Daroll had called Sungmin to his study.</p><p>“Sit down, Sungmin. I understand I owe you an explanation,” Daroll started and somehow it felt odd the fact that every coven member was in that room. “Mishra, please sit next to Sungmin, you are the only ones that don’t know about this.”</p><p>“About what?” Mishra asked with a frown. If Sungmin had been lost she was even more.</p><p>“While I was human I had a wife, her name was Hyunae. My sire had killed her in front of my eyes as part of torture before he decided to embrace me. It had been one of the reasons I hated him so much, a fuel that led me to kill him. Some centuries into my requiem, after learning about the Moriaty abilities, a desire to bring back her soul consumed me. Driven and blinded by it I managed to kill a powerful kindred of that bloodline and acquired some of his necromancer’s powers. I called for her soul to bind it to mine forever, yet I failed at it. As some sort of punishment for breaking old rules I could only find her reincarnated self when she was already married, she had a daughter and was pregnant of a baby boy.” Daroll silenced then seemingly reminiscing those days, Sungmin felt his heart constrict.</p><p>“I couldn’t withstand seeing her belong to another man so I killed her ‘husband’,” Daroll sighed visibly regretting that action. “Somehow I made it into her life, tried to make her look at me yet she had always been devoted to that man, despite years passing she had never open up to another love, she had always pushed me away despite it being clear my presence had some effect in her. A few years after her son married she fell ill and I secretly tried to embrace her, I believed that if we could both be of the same kind again we could free me and live what we were supposed to live before Domenic ruined our lives,” Daroll stopped again closing his hands in fists as well as his eyes. “She died. I failed at embracing her.”</p><p>Sungmin bit his lips and sneaked a glance at Chungyeol, the only one he was able to see besides Mishra, he was looking at the ceiling seemingly not paying attention to what was being said. Sungmin glanced at Mishra then, she had a serious expression on her face but Sungmin couldn’t read what she was thinking. Nevertheless Daroll continued his tale.</p><p>“The second time she reincarnated I found her at a cabaret, that time it was easier to woo her back, to make her think of me as someone she could give her life up for. I told her everything that had happened in her previous lives and how we were meant to be together. She accepted to be embraced to fight with me against Domenic, yet the moment I gave her my blood nothing happened. She had died again.” Daroll smiled sadly then.</p><p>“After two more tries I got an unexpected visit, my unborn child’s soul came to me and he told me to stop. The spell I casted had set up rules I had not been following. First of all I would have to be the only man in her life, her virginity must be mine, if not my blood would be the same as poison and she would die. I always find her too late to claim that. I couldn’t keep her for more than a human’s lifetime. And the times in between her reincarnations are from a hundred to two hundred years… I’ve never expected her to be reborn this soon.” Daroll looked at Sungmin seriously then. “And as you can guess, Sungmin, in her previous life she was your aunt.”</p><p>As expected, Sungmin was rendered speechless. Only after hearing that could Daroll’s actions towards Lauren make sense. Yet there was still a nagging question and he didn’t know how to ask such a thing.</p><p>“You’re probably wondering how Daroll knows who her reincarnation is,” Chungyeol meddled at that point. “I wondered the same thing until my eyes landed on your aunt,” The second older vampire smirked at Sungmin’s startled expression. “The first reincarnation of his wife that I met was a hooker back at the place Elena lived in. When I first saw your aunt, even though there was no physical resemblance I would always remember that girl, Hazel was her name. That’s how we know.”</p><p>Sungmin looked from Chungyeol and back at his sire. Daroll had a sad pensive expression on his face as he spoke. “When you saw Summer, you saw your aunt in her because they are the same soul. Since I acquired some necromancer’s power it passed on to my progeny, with the proper training maybe we could all develop this ability to control souls and ghosts but it’s not something I would advise you to do.”</p><p>Sungmin nodded once before glancing at Mishra who was then biting her lips. She glanced back at Sungmin and grimaced. “I guess this is a topic that proves I am not part of this coven, I felt no familiarity upon seeing that lady. Why am I being allowed to listen to this?” She questioned then, directing her gaze back on Daroll.</p><p>“Because even though you are not part of my progeny, I took you into this coven. This is something you should know and something you should not let anyone else know. It’s another token of my trust in you, gangrel.” Daroll replied and Mishra smiled a little bit. Before whenever Daroll had called her gangrel it had a bad despising connotation, but now it just sounded like a tease.</p><p>Sungmin and Mishra kept questioning more about the Moriaty abilities, interested in what Daroll could do beyond the power of a Dragon until the night fell. Learning more about the secrets behind the soul locked in Daroll’s scythe and why it was called ‘Aesur’. That night Sungmin and Daroll exited the house once again in the directions of the Red Light Street. Daroll once again had Summer for the night, but Sungmin decided to visit another cabaret further away. The fact that he could see his beloved aunt in a hooker was disturbing enough.</p><p>For almost three weeks Daroll kept visiting the cabaret, he spent a small fortune to have Summer as his private entertainer, he never touched anyone else but her and he made sure no-one would touch her but him, the one time the owner of the cabaret tried to fool him by sleeping with the girl, Daroll made sure to leave a bruise and a broken arm as a painful memory. “I will know if anyone else touches her.” Daroll had fiercely warned.</p><p>The vampire had far bypassed any other client Summer had had, and slowly with every night they spent together between caresses and pleasure she would find herself wishing he could take her away, take her from that place so she could really belong to him. It was something she couldn’t explain. The first night they spent together he kept saying he missed her, that she had surprised him with being there, she couldn’t explain why she felt hurt by those words, why she felt sorry for him.</p><p>She blamed it on the sweet way he treated her, the fact that she had been trying so hard to pleasure him not for the fact she was being paid for it, she actually yearned for his touches, for his caresses. Her days were spent wishing the night could just come faster and her nights wishing the next day would never arrive.</p><p>But unknown to him, for a few days she had been feeling nauseous, she would get tired easily and her monthly blood had not run yet. One afternoon she fainted and that night the owner profusely apologized for not allowing him to see her. Daroll had felt worried, had sneaked in to see her anyway, but she had assured him she was fine.</p><p>The next day, a doctor confirmed after an examination: she was pregnant. Summer rejoiced internally for that child, she was sure it was Daroll’s child. Because of that baby her insane dream of being taken away from that place would come true. But the owner of the cabaret didn’t like what he heard; a child would just ruin his earnings. He had ordered a potion for her to drink and lose the baby. Summer felt horrified about the prospect. “Maybe my master would want the baby.” She had tried to defend it, but the owner shouted at her someone as rich as Park Junghwa wouldn’t want a bastard.</p><p>But Summer knew Daroll better, with a sudden bolt of courage and love for that child, she took the potion and threw it on the ground, shouting she would have that baby. The owner locked her in a room and ordered a new potion to be made, while they were preparing it, two of Summer’s friends helped her out of the room and out of the cabaret. Despite the fact it was raining too heavily, she kept on running through the city, she had to find him, she had to tell him. She was going to give birth to a child from the man she loved.</p><p>Summer ran through the deserted streets with a dread fear of being caught, yet she managed to get to Daroll’s house without much trouble. She was thankful to the fact some previous night, while they were talking in bed, he had told her how his life was, how his house looked like and where it was located. She had feared she wouldn’t be able to recognize it but there she was drenched to the bone in front of his door.</p><p>Chungyeol had been the first to smell her, and he quickly left his room, where Elena was massaging him, to go to Daroll’s study room. If the human escaped the cabaret it couldn't be something good. Sungmin and Mishra had been reading a book in the living room. Despite the fact they knew who had arrived and was desperately knocking on the door, they forced themselves to stay put and wait for their human governess to open the door, as it was supposed to be.</p><p>The governess frowned at seeing the drenched woman in front of her and thinking it was a beggar she was ready to close the door on that stranger's face. But Summer understood what the older woman wanted to do and spoke fast. "Please I need to speak with Junghwa-ssi!"</p><p>That request was met with silence and surprise, yet the governess still managed to say. "What would you have to talk with master? We don't have anything for charity."</p><p>Those words alarmed Summer. "Please let me see him! I have something important to tell him!" she tried to push the door open and force the governess to let her in.</p><p>Sungmin took that commotion as sign for him to act. He approached the door asking what was going on. Summer immediately recognized him from the cabaret, but also felt the same strange sense of familiarity she felt in the presence of Daroll, therefore both females spoke at the same time.</p><p>"Young master, she's looking for master Junghwa." the governess was saying while Summer shot an anguished</p><p>"Sungmin-ssi, I really need to talk with Junghwa-ssi."</p><p>Sungmin on the other hand managed to act a very surprised young man as he replied. "Summer?! You want to see hyung?" he reached for her hand while he ordered the governess to go get something so the lady could dry herself, as well as quickly go tell Junghwa the lady was looking for him. Slightly contradicted the governess bowed and left to obey the orders. Sungmin pulled Summer in and closed the door behind her. "Wait here for a moment until you can dry yourself." he was saying as Mishra arrived.</p><p>"Who is it that is looking for Junghwa?" the gangrel asked and for a moment Summer feared he had lied about not being married.</p><p>Sungmin smiled softly though as he replied tenderly. "It's the lady hyung has been visiting every night." those words seemed to sparkle another bolt of hope in Summer, even more as the beautiful lady in front of her smiled and hooked her arms in Sungmin's as she replied to him.</p><p>"Oh she's pretty! Oppa has taste for beauty," she smirked then. "But drenched like this is a no, no to enter here. I'll tell Nam ahjuma to grab one of my old dresses for you to change into." and after saying that Mishra left with a bounce to her step.</p><p>Meanwhile Daroll came down from his study in a slightly faked hurry. "Summer?!" he breathed as he saw her by the door. Not caring about her wet state she simply ran to Daroll holding him tightly. Daroll held her back. "Summer, why are you here?!" he questioned then trying to calm the now crying human.</p><p>"They want to kill him! I didn’t want them to kill him!" she cried causing Daroll to frown.</p><p>"Him? Who's him?". He asked then, pulling her away gently so he could look her in the eyes. She smiled slightly through her tears as she replied to that question. "I am pregnant, Junghwa. They tried to kill our baby, so I ran away from them.”</p><p>Silence took place then. A pained expression appeared on Daroll’s face and Sungmin mirrored that. There was no way that child could be Daroll's.</p><p>"I am not the father, Summer," he spoke softly still holding on to her. "It can't be mine," he almost whispered. Summer couldn't believe what she was hearing, the man she loved was negating a baby that was clearly his.</p><p>"You have to believe in me! You know the only man in my bed for the last three weeks was you! There's no way this baby is not yours!" she shouted in angst. "So many times you said you loved me! I believed in you! I believed you would take me and the baby!" she tried to hug him and he didn't shy away from it, welcoming her even and trying to calm her down.</p><p>"You really ran away from them?" he questioned in half disbelief. Never before in any of her reincarnations did his wife leave everything behind so she could chase him. Yet in that lifetime she wanted to be with him. Wanted to have a child with him. She nodded still crying.</p><p>"Hyung." Sungmin called with a warning tone. He feared to be reading right the outcome of that talk, he feared Daroll would give in to her pleas and take her, overlooking all the danger they would be put in, after all it's a love worth more than two thousand years already.</p><p>Summer didn't like the tone Sungmin used, didn’t like the way Junghwa had so quickly denied the child, but she couldn’t fight the happiness she felt as she heard his next words. "I’ll buy you from them,” Sungmin bit his lower lip, once again he called for his sire but the older didn’t even spare him a glance, Daroll’s eyes were fixed on Summer. “I'll take care of you, but I won't marry you, Summer, nor will I give this child my name, you'll bring it up with your family name." Daroll decided, causing Sungmin to wince. If the baby had not his human name it would mean the child would not be important to him. Most of the Kindreds use to believe in what the humans whisper. Yet the child would have a hard life because it would be clear it would be a bastard with no rights to the society.</p><p>"Hyung! You can't." Sungmin started to protest but Summer's pained words were louder.</p><p>"Why won't you?! Why won't you recognize the baby as yours?!"</p><p>Daroll smiled sadly. “I can't have babies, Summer. The father must be someone you entertained before I found you. I will take care of the both of you, but I have to minimize the relations," Daroll kissed her suddenly as he saw Summer was about to protest again. "I will explain to you my reasons and then you can decide if you want to stay around me or not, but I’ll free you from the red light street life."</p><p>Summer couldn't understand why her Junghwa was being like that, but she nodded anyway, after all there was the possibility of staying with him, what could be so horrible she would choose to stay away? Daroll took her to his private room not minding the calls from Sungmin. The governess that had watched half of the exchange followed him to help the girl change to Mishra's clothes.</p><p>Sungmin sighed not believing what his sire was doing. "Just why are you against her? Even if it's slightly twisted she is Daroll’s companion, why would you want them apart?" Mishra asked making sure to pass the point she couldn't get Sungmin's reasoning.</p><p>"Can’t you see? One thing is he going to her every night at a cabaret; the other is her living with him and giving birth to a child! She's not a blood doll! It's just too dangerous for all of us and especially for the three of them!" Sungmin tried to explain he was worried with Summer, worried some kindred would get to her and use her to hurt his sire, Daroll had already seen her die too many times.</p><p>"Are you not confident we can protect her?" Chungyeol suddenly questioned from the stairs. "We can't know through how much Dall had to go through for her, but think, Sungmin, what happens if Daroll sends her back to the cabaret?"</p><p>Sungmin frowned at the question. The answer was quite clear. "They’ll kill the baby... She'll mourn for an unborn child," before being embraced Daroll had been forced to watch his wife die and along with her their unborn child, but still. "I just don't want her to be put in danger." Sungmin whispered.</p><p>“We are strong, Sungmin, I am sure we will be able to protect her and the child, we own this to our sire, let's do this for him." Chungyeol retorted and Sungmin could do nothing but nod.</p><p>Meanwhile Daroll had taken Summer to his private room, took the clothes from the governess and ordered her to prepare the lady a hot bath so she wouldn't get sick. The old woman left looking with clear disgust to the younger human. Once they were alone, Daroll helped her to undress. "Summer, since I am taking you out of that place I shouldn't be calling you with this endearment. What's your real name?" Daroll questioned softly as his hand slowly revealed her naked body.</p><p>"My real name... My parents had called me Hyunhwa. I am Cho Hyunhwa." she replied with a small smile delighted with the fact people would call her once again by her real name.</p><p>"Hyunhwa," Daroll breathed landing a small kiss on her shoulder. "I have secrets only a few had been trusted with knowing, Hyunhwa," he started sneaking his arms around her waist and let his mouth hover above her right ear. "I cannot have babies because I am a vampire."</p><p>The human tensed up in his arms, but after a moment she laughed without humor. "You could have tried another kind of lie, Junghwa." she started but Daroll just kissed her neck.</p><p>"I am telling you the truth," he started letting his fangs show and lightly scratch the skin of her neck. “Much of your legends are not that accurate and it is good for us, we can pretend to be humans and none of you really notice. But if you look for the right clues you'll see I do not have a heartbeat, I hardly eat human food and my skin is always cold to the touch," Daroll continued softly pulling her to stand in front of his huge mirror. “Look closely, my love,"</p><p>And she looked through the mirror, how he seemed to be paler than she had ever noticed, how his eyes were no longer of a light brown but vivid red of blood, and yes he had fangs. Hyunhwa watched in a trance how he kissed her neck, licked the skin and then bit down. She expected pain but nothing came, just a tingling small sensation of pleasure.</p><p>She was strangely aware of everything that was happening, breathing slowly as her eyes were fixed on Daroll sucking on her neck. Her mind was completely blank. Hyunhwa couldn’t know how long they had been in that trance but as her eyes locked with his through the mirror she knew she still wanted nothing but to stay beside him forever.</p><p>“Can…” she breathed feeling light headed. “Can I be the same?” she had no-one else but him, so if she could become the same and be with him forever she would have no regrets, their baby could be like them later.</p><p>“I’m sorry…” Daroll replied. “I can’t embrace you to become a vampire.” Daroll replied with a cold tone hiding his face in her neck. Hyunhwa felt something drop inside of her.</p><p>“Why?” she felt tears forming in her eyes again. “Why are you pushing me away? Why don’t you want to change me?” she questioned almost in a whisper and as reply Daroll tightened his hold on her waist.</p><p>“Listen to what I say,” He lightly scolded. “I <em>can’t</em>. Who told you I do not want to?” He took a breath of her scent before continuing not allowing her to speak again. “Many centuries ago I tied your soul to mine because I wanted nothing but to have you beside me forever… but something went wrong… If I am not the first and only man to touch you I can’t keep you for more than a human’s lifetime. I’ll keep you for as long as I can.” He explained and assured, his pained tone hurting her heart.</p><p>She kept looking at their reflection in the mirror remembering the strange lines he had said when they first met, how sorry she had felt not even knowing why. Her soul had been wandering around for centuries trying to find his, but they had always met too late. She could understand then why she felt sorry for not waiting longer, for giving herself to other men, she was sorry for that lifetime and for the others she had lived. How long had they been trapped in that circle?</p><p>“Not counting the time we were humans, this is the seventh time we meet… not necessarily the seventh time we fell in love… Hyunhwa… I have two kids in a vampire sense. Chungyeol had been the first I changed, he was the grandson of one of your reincarnations, and my other child is Sungmin, in your life prior to this you had been his aunt.” Daroll answered and she wondered if he could read her mind or if she had simply asked out loud without noticing.</p><p>Still those words kept her thinking, she had only seen Chungyeol once at the cabaret, she had heard he was Junghwa’s cousin and was married to a woman named Elena, Sungmin was a familiar face from the cabaret, many times they had shared glances and somehow she had felt uncomfortable looking at him, he probably felt uncomfortable as well because he had never asked for her, she was certainly the only one he had not gone to bed with.</p><p>“Grandmother and aunt?” she mumbled trying to understand why Sungmin had been trying to push her away after she revealed she had been pregnant, if he knew who she was and he probably did, why would he do such a thing? “They do not want me here…” she mumbled sadly but it made Daroll smile slightly.</p><p>“That is not true,” He had guaranteed with a soft kiss on her cheek. “Sungmin was worried for you and the baby, Hyunhwa. Other vampires more often than not are not amiable, some have a huge grudge against me and my family, staying here you and the baby will be perfect targets so they could hurt me.”</p><p>She turned around in his hold then to be able to really look in his eyes. She had so many questions, there was so much she wanted to know, so she settled with what she thought would be able to allow her to know everything later and slowly. “Even if it’s dangerous would you keep me? Would they accept me?” Daroll had to smile at her desperate tone and the firm hold she had of his shirt.</p><p>“The two of them already agreed. They will help me keep you safe,” Daroll replied caressing her cheek. “I will keep you as close as I can.” After saying that he leaned in to kiss her, for a moment they forgot about everyone else, she reached for the buttons of his shirt to take them off, he helped her get fully undressed and while she was trying to take off his pants the governess knocked on the door to say the hot bath had been prepared.</p><p>They stopped whatever they had planned on doing. “You should take the bath, it will not be good for the baby if you catch a cold,” Daroll stated letting go of her and taking a piece of cloth to cover her nakedness, he put on his shirt again but didn’t bother to button it. Like that Daroll guided her to the bathhouse where he made sure to bathe with her and continue the activities interrupted in the bedroom.</p><p>Later that night during dinner, Daroll called the whole of the servants that worked for him to make an announcement. By that moment he had already given her a heads up on who was human and who was vampire, as well as who knew the secret and who didn’t. At one side were the seven humans that worked for him, at the other Daroll’s family. The master of the house spoke with authority. “This is Hyunhwa. From this day onwards she’s to be treated as my companion, the servants shall address her as the first lady of the house.” he acquainted and ordered guiding her right after to sit.</p><p>The servants watched silently as Daroll led Hyunhwa to the table and sat her to his right at the seat Chungyeol had always sat before. They had expected for the second master to feel offended to have a hooker sit at such a noble place, but Chungyeol smiled sincerely as he sat in front of her to Daroll’s left.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hyunhwa. Please take care of my cousin.” He maintained the act but she felt he had been sincere towards her.</p><p>After Chungyeol was seated Sungmin took the seat beside Hyunhwa. Once again the servants felt baffled at seeing the younger master take her hand as he spoke. “Welcome. I make mine Chungyeol hyung’s words. Please take care of my cousin. Junghwa hyung means the world to me.”</p><p>Hyunhwa smiled back at him and squeezed his hand mouthing a ‘thank you’ and an ‘I promise’. She watched as Elena sat beside Chungyeol and they exchanged some pleasantries, after her came Jia sitting beside Elena and presenting himself as Chungyeol’s younger brother, Mishra was the last to take a seat and it was beside Sungmin, she introduced herself as Sungmin’s step-sister.</p><p>From that day onwards the servants had to get used with Hyunhwa giving them orders, the ones that proved to be too much against such intrusion had been sent away and replaced by others. Daroll smiled at the new melody in his requiem.</p><p>It had been four days since Summer had ran away from the cabaret, they had searched for her for two days, but afterwards the owner of the cabaret concluded she had made it to Park Junghwa’s house and was just waiting for the noble to send her back, probably already without the baby. They had thought about that because Little Master Lee Sungmin had not been seen at the Red Light Street for those four days. At the fifth night a commotion started at the cabaret.</p><p>“I already said I want Summer!” a certain noble ordered pushing away a few of the hookers that had tried to entertain him.</p><p>The owner of the cabaret approached trying to calm the noble down. “Youngho-ssi, I am deeply sorry but Summer in unviable,” He half lied to the noble. “If you may take Lily instead?” he probed. The noble shot a few curses but took the lady after a few more lines of persuasion.</p><p>Only after the two had climbed upstairs did the owner notice Sungmin lazily siting on a table with one of his girls making out with the young man. He made his way to the table then.</p><p>“Mr. Lee. It had been a while since you came enjoy one of my girls. I hope Mr. Park will hand Summer back to me soon. As you could see she’s being requested.” The man took a seat close to Sungmin not minding the open mouthed kiss he was sharing with the girl that was also grinding him.</p><p>“Mr. Jung,” Sungmin greeted back after breaking the kiss, the girl on his lap stopped her ministration waiting for their conversation to be over, but Sungmin squeezed her tights ordering her not to stop, shamelessly the girl started to grind again and Sungmin smiled lazily. “Much better, keep that pace, sweetie,” Sungmin urged before focusing his attention on the man sitting beside him. “I am here exactly because Junghwa hyung asked me to give you a heads up. He is not giving ‘Summer’ back to you. Hyung wants the baby and Hyunhwa-ssi, so you have until I leave to set a price for her, he is buying her from you.”</p><p>Hearing those words the girl abruptly stopped and looked at Sungmin astonished, she had been friends with Summer and one of those that had helped her escape. Mr. Jung had also been taken by surprise and it took a while for the man to retort to that. “If you stop again I’ll take another girl, sweetie.” Sungmin warned and the girl promptly started moving again moaning as the young man decided to use his hands to knead her breasts.</p><p>“Summer is not for sale,” Mr. Jung found himself saying as he watched without shame his client making out in front of him.</p><p>Sungmin smirked at the reply. “No need to bargain, Mr. Jung. Junghwa hyung set a top price for her, but he ordered me to hear your price first.”</p><p>The old man looked intently at the younger-looking man as he half undressed the girl on his lap and started sucking on her breasts, she never stopped gridding him though. “Are you saying Mr. Park believes I won’t ask for his top price?”</p><p>“Definitely won’t,” Sungmin replied shortly causing the older man to scoff.</p><p>“Five bars of gold.” Mr. park shot as a first try. Often his clients would pay a coin of gold if they really enjoyed the entertainment, to have Summer privately Park Junghwa had paid ten coins of gold per week, a bar of gold would be the same as paying for a year of particular service.</p><p>“I’ll let him know,” Sungmin retorted nonchalantly, effortlessly pulling the girl up and taking her with him upstairs. “I’ll find myself a room.” He told the owner with a grin.</p><p>“Wait!” the man called and Sungmin merely turned his head to him. “Was my request close to what Mr. Park was willing to pay?”</p><p>Sungmin’s grin widened upon hearing the question and the next second he was walking to the stairs again. “As we expected not even close.” In fact Daroll was willing to pay ten bars of gold for Hyunhwa.</p><p>The next day Sungmin and Daroll went to the cabaret while the sun was still up. Mr. Jung received them cautiously. He knew Daroll to be rich, but to pay so much for one of his girls had left him wondering.</p><p>“Mr. Park, I gave my price yesterday to give you Summer, yet I find it curious a noble to your standard would go to this extent, if you want the kid you could keep Summer till she gives birth.” the man inquired as they sat in the cabaret’s office.</p><p>“I want both, Hyunhwa had been mine for three weeks, having her under my roof would save me from the boring road, I am paying enough for you to get yourself another three girls to be in her place, it’s fair enough.” Daroll replied with a business-like tone.</p><p>“Summer was very popular you see. But, even so my price had been seven bars of gold so if you have them I’ll gladly give up my little Summer.” Mr. Jung smirked at the raised eyebrow Daroll shot his way.</p><p>“Sungmin?” Daroll called and the younger put up the table five bars of gold from a bag he had been carrying. “The price you had decided on yesterday,” Sungmin stated before reaching to the bag and pulling additional two bars from it. “The extra you greedily decided to request today.”</p><p>Mr. Jung felt baffled once again at the fact they didn’t even protest or accused him of extortion. Summer may really mean something to them if things were like that. He was cut out of his thoughts when Daroll spoke again. “Write me a receipt stating I legally own Hyunhwa, and please do not try to fool me, write in both her stage name and her real name. If later on you try to do anything to get her back, I’ll make it my right to have you killed as well as whoever you involve in it.” His tone was serious and Mr. Jung could swear he saw murder in the other’s eyes.</p><p>The receipt was written in haste and then re-written because Daroll did not approve of the words used. The two gentlemen shook hands and Daroll left the room shortly after, Sungmin lingered behind stating he would like to be the first customer of the night paying in advance for one of the girls. Before leaving Mr. Jung behind, Sungmin still teased. “You were not greedy enough to surpass my hyung.” He stated playfully as he tried to decide which girl he would eat for the night.</p><p>Mr. Jung creased his eyebrow together in wonder. Sungmin smirked “I had three more bars if you had been greedier.” The young man said calling one of the red haired girls and exiting to one of the bedrooms.</p><p>The following months were dedicated to Hyunhwa, every member of the coven took care of her as something precious and the vampires were more than delighted to hear not only one but two additional hearts beating under their roof. Daroll felt himself wanting that baby to be really his, every night as he watched Hyunhwa sleeping he would get lost in time listening to that far away steady beat.</p><p>One night Hyunhwa woke up in slightly discomfort, the baby had grown so much inside of her and now it seemed he was restless always kicking and moving. She cuddled against Daroll as she caressed her tummy feeling her baby’s kicks. “Can you feel it? I wonder if it’s a girl or a boy.” She mumbled half asleep.</p><p>Daroll kissed her head as he just kept on listening to the heartbeats. “Sungmin may be able to tell us, he has a very accurate sense of smell.” Daroll replied lazily humming something in hopes his two loves would be able to sleep comfortably. Yes he already loved that baby as his.</p><p>“I want us to have a baby boy.” She mumbled again smiling despite the fact she was more asleep than awake, Daroll didn’t answer to that though, because he thought about all the sons she had in her previous lives and then his eyes landed on the cane resting up his side table. Aesur was their son that had not been born, the son she had wished for back then, not the son she was carrying, but the son she would never be able to carry again. For a moment Daroll regretted allowing the Artisan to seal Aesur in that cane. Regretted the fact the artisan made of his son something that can be disposed of, to anyone else nothing but a weapon.</p><p>The next day, upon seeing Sungmin, Hyunhwa remembered what Daroll had said and she asked with a bright smile to that young man she felt so strongly attached to, her previous life was too fresh in her soul’s reminiscences. “Sungmin, can you tell if we’ll have a baby boy or a baby girl?”</p><p>Sungmin blinked and pondered over the question, Mishra and Daroll had been the only ones at the mansion at that time, because Chungyeol and his blood dolls were staying a few days at the farm to better take care of it. Mishra glanced worriedly at Daroll but the latter was wearing a small smile indicating it was ok if Sungmin needed to try her blood to give them an answer.</p><p>The youngest vampire approached nervously and took in a deep sniff of her scent. “I only smell you, Hyunhwa.” He replied their question.</p><p>But she was not satisfied with the answer, so she reached her hand to him. “Junghwa said it would be ok to have a taste, I really want to know.”</p><p>Sungmin grunted softly in reluctance, he believed nobody should taste her but Daroll. Nevertheless because he didn’t want to say no to the human, he reached for the hand taking one finger to his mouth and piercing the skin with care as to not let her feel any pain, actually he made her feel nothing at all.</p><p>The taste was rich and he could identify a few universal similarities in the blood, such as pregnant female taste, but he couldn’t feel anything strange other than that. He licked the wound he caused before shaking his head. “I am sorry but I only tasted you, I can’t taste the baby through you. We’ll really have to wait.” He said apologetically, going back to his seat beside Mishra who spoke animatedly.</p><p>“That’s fine, Hyunhwa, you’re close to giving birth anyway.”</p><p>All of them had to smile at the prospect. Mishra kept watching in amusement, never once she would have thought about a vampire waiting so eagerly for a human child to be born as Daroll was right in front of her.</p><p>In fact around a month and a half later Hyunhwa felt the sharp pain of giving birth. In a hush Chungyeol called a midwife over to help deliver the baby. The males of the house had been banished to the living room while Elena, Mishra and a few servants helped the midwife with her requests. The living room had been in complete silence as the four males kept on listening to the ruckus in the bedroom.</p><p>There was a strong lingering smell of blood in the air and soon the piercing cries of a human newborn. Sungmin smiled brightly then as he whispered. “It’s a boy.” Not two second later Mishra was in the living room telling them out loud what Sungmin already smelled in the air.</p><p>Only moments later Daroll had been allowed to enter the bedroom to see his first born ‘son’. Elena had been sitting beside Hyunhwa, holding on to the baby. The midwife had already warned Daroll about the fact that they had had problems delivering the baby and his wife had lost too much blood, therefore she was very weak and needed to rest. Daroll sat beside his love and asked Elena to pass him the boy as he wished to help Hyunhwa to hold the baby and be alone just the three of them. Yet the moment his hands touched the baby, he started to cry, his frail skin was too sensitive to the colder temperature of a kindred body.</p><p>The vampire had tried to calm the baby down, but he would just keep on crying. Dejectedly Daroll handed him back to the awaiting arms of Elena, who easily calmed the newborn boy down. The human smiled encouragingly to him though, expecting that small misfortune to not break his resolution to love that little life. Hyunhwa who had watched all that reached for his hand and squeezed it with the strength she had left in her.</p><p>The touch caused Daroll to focus his attention on her, a small smile playing on his lips. “He will get used to you. He will love you as much as I do.” she whispered and Daroll could do nothing much but really smile and agree. Babies were too sensitive to be easily influenced by his vampiric powers but as he would grow up that natural defense would disappear.</p><p>Hyunhwa glanced at her baby then. “Let me try again to hold him, I’m feeling stronger now,” She asked and Elena readily helped her hold on to the baby on her own. The boy apparently smiled at the warmness from his mother, as if he knew those arms from before were not the right ones, the ones he belonged to. “He is so beautiful.” She mumbled before leaning down and giving her baby a small tender kiss.</p><p>“He looks like you,” Daroll teased but for a moment afterwards Hyunhwa slacked on her hold and almost let the baby fall, he was saved by Elena’s fast reaction. Daroll felt alarmed at how weak she was so he urged her to rest and recover. Once she was awake again her baby would be there demanding his first meal. Hyunhwa didn’t want to sleep but she was just too tired.</p><p>When she woke up again she felt a tingling sensation on her left breast, someone was sucking on it. She opened her eyes to find Elena smiling down at her and her baby holding on to her to feed. “He was crying too much and we figured it would be ok.” The human spoke softly and Hyunhwa promptly tried to hold on to the baby this time having much more strength in her to do so.</p><p>She watched mesmerized as his little mouth eagerly sucked on her nipple, suddenly her world was resumed in that small piece of human being in her arms.</p><p>“We should name him.” She was jolted back to reality as Daroll’s voice reached her. He had been all along sitting on a cushion near the bed watching all that with lovingly eyes. Hyunhwa smiled at him and then down at her baby again.</p><p>The little boy had let go and was moving his little arms around, probably in search for a good position to just sleep again. Hyunhwa caressed his cheek pondering about the name for him, she had thought of many possibilities both male and female names. “Do you like Younghyun?” she questioned not looking back at Daroll.</p><p>There was silent for a moment in the room but then Daroll stood up and walked to the bed to sit beside Hyunhwa and look at the boy as well. The silence lingered but then he spoke softly. “Welcome, Younghyun. This is your family.” The vampire said looking up at his love and then at Elena who was smiling at them as well.</p><p>Younghyun had been pampered from the moment he was born onwards, despite the fact he would cry whenever one of the vampires tried to touch him, he was still loved by them. Strangely enough the first vampire Younghyun got used to was Sungmin, probably because he was the youngest, but still nothing could beat the radiant smile the baby would have whenever Jia was around.</p><p>Mishra had even tried to play with the baby in her red fox form to enchant him and get him used to her, but it didn’t work that much because a servant ended up fainting at seeing the wild animal in the bedroom. Daroll half-heartedly scolded her to just use her dog form to play with the boy.</p><p>The first months had been filled with midnight snacks and cries but none of the kindreds could deny it was a very unusual refreshing melody to their requiems. They had seen Younghyun crawl all around before trying to stand up, had scolded the oblivious Younghyun not to put whatever he found on the floor in his mouth, as well as not to drool on Jia’s fine and expensive clothes or to play with dad’s black cane. They had heard him try out his first words, mommy being the very first, daddy a pleasant second.</p><p>Younghyun was starting to get used to the colder touch his father had when a letter came in from Prince Ashura, from the islands, asking them to come to his lands as a small retribution for all the centuries they had lived there under his protection, when he could have very well eliminated them by helping the trackers and mercenaries Adrian had sent after them.</p><p>Daroll had Prince Ashura as a very important ally, therefore he decided to pay him a visit. Yet he knew it not to be a good idea to take Hyunhwa and Younghyun with him on a ship. He assured his love he would just pay a courtesy visit to the islands, promising to take her with him the next time when Younghyun would be older. For now he wanted the kindreds to only speculate and not be certain about how precious those two humans were to him.</p><p>When the coven left, Hyunhwa had been set as owner and ruler of Daroll’s fortune in the city, the farm’s loots were to be given to her and she was to be obeyed till he was back in town. Younghyun had been a little older than a year old. When the coven was back in town Younghyun was almost six years old.</p><p>Younghyun grew up only with his mother by his side and servants that would do whatever he asked for. As a five years old boy most of his time was spent fooling around with the servants children, but still he had his fair share of studies to learn how to read and write, and most important calculus. His father was a well-known merchant so he had to learn how to deal with big numbers soon.</p><p>Yet even at such a young age he had his fair share of insecurities, mostly regarding his father. From time to time his mother would be invited to dinners and balls at the noble court of their city and like a little noble Younghyun had been there beside her. Yes he was a child, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t hear what the adults kept on saying behind his mother’s back, thinking he wouldn’t understand. He really did not understand and he had asked his mother, but she would just smile and tell him to forget what he heard. But he couldn’t, so he would ask his nana.</p><p>The old woman would do the same as his mother yet her smile was not that warm, not that reassuring. After he had made his fair share of questions did he start to hear the servants also talking behind his mother’s back. He wanted to know what those things were so he asked the older kids and them, without the same care, did let Younghyun know what everything he heard was. And it sure let him restless.</p><p>Those kids told him his mother had never been a noble, that she was actually something below a servant, but his father gave her a pretty dress and jewels and turned her into a fake noble. That his mother and father were not a married couple and that she actually had no saying out of the house, nobody in the society actually liked his mother or him, because Younghyun was a bastard child, something born in the dark. The worst of things he heard were about the absence of his father, they had told him his father had left because he didn’t really want him, and that he just sends money and gives his mother a good life because his mother had forced him to.</p><p>One day Younghyun had asked his mother in all his pained innocence. “Mom, is it true that dad doesn’t love Younghyun?”</p><p>Hyunhwa frowned at her son, picking him up and holding him close. “Dad loves you, Younghyun. If dad heard you, he would be sad. Dad loves us, don’t ever doubt that.” She reassured, but after hearing the opposite so many times he couldn’t really believe his mother.</p><p>Another time he had asked while looking out of the window to the street. “When is daddy coming home?” and it broke Hyunhwa’s heart how sad her son sounded.</p><p>“Soon, my baby. Daddy is coming home soon.” But days kept on passing and whenever he asked and the answer was the same he stopped believing and stopped asking.</p><p>Whenever he would see the other kids being pampered by their fathers he would feel sad and wondered if he would ever have that. He wanted to meet his father, he wanted to hear his father praising him, telling him that he loved him and his mother. But his father was never coming back home.</p><p>The fifth winter of his human life arrived and he found himself wishing his father would be able to make it to his birthday in two months, but his small heart had this wish as something that was surely not coming true. It was the day the first snow fell, he had been breathlessly playing around with the other kids, his cheeks bright red due the cold and how much he had ran and jumped. He heard a ruckus of horses and then whispers and commotion by the older servants.</p><p>Suddenly the door to the living room opened and his nana shouted for him with a bright smile. “Younghyun! Come here! Come see who’s back home!” Those words filled his little heart with joy, he chanted in his head for it to be his father, finally his father. He eagerly held on to his nana asking who was back but she just half-heartedly scolded him. “Now are those the manners your mom and I taught you? Make yourself presentable as the little noble you are and come with me.”</p><p>He nodded still too happy to be mad at his nana for scolding him, like he would usually be, he tried to calm down his breathing and fixed his clothes before standing erect and holding up a hand to his nana, indicating he was ready to go. She smiled down on him taking his hand and guiding him back inside the house. Yet as her hand held the sliding door he felt insecure again. What if his father really didn’t love him? What if his father was back just for a moment and then would be gone again? His heart started beating fast in anxiousness because he didn’t know how his father looked like, nor what his voice sounded like or if he was kind and warm like his mother. He was afraid his father wouldn’t love him.</p><p>As they entered the main living room Younghyun saw his mother holding on to a man a head taller than her, said man had an arm around her waist and another holding her head. They seemed to be doing something he was not supposed to see because his nana quickly crouched down and put a hand in front of his eyes. Younghyun promptly whined then. “No! I want to see my daddy! Take off!”</p><p>Hyunhwa and Daroll, who had been kissing like there’s no tomorrow from the moment she fell in his embrace, parted from the kiss and looked at the small boy trying to pry the hands of his nana away from his face. Daroll chuckled and the small sound made Younghyun freeze.</p><p>“Is that the little baby I’ve been missing every day?” Daroll asked softly, lovingly, studying Younghyun in search for what he had inherited from his mother: the color of his eyes, the wavy kind of hair though the color was different, his lips perhaps, but most importantly the kind feel to his soul.</p><p>Younghyun became shy at the question, hiding behind his nana and peering from there in Daroll’s direction as for the first time he looked his father in the face. Hyunhwa smiled and she was ready to call him to come closer when Daroll beat her to it. “Won’t I get a welcome back hug and kiss from my little boy? Or will you cry again if I try to hold you as you did when you were born?” he had asked playfully but with a tad bit of hurt in his tone.</p><p>“I didn’t!” Younghyun protested weakly, still hiding behind his nana thinking sadly if it could be the reason why his father had gone away. Did he really cry when his father had tried to hold him when he was small?</p><p>“Younghyun,” His father called and for a moment the boy had thought about turning around and running away, but other than that he tentatively looked at his father one more time. His small eyes widened because his father had completely let go of his mother, had crouched down in one knee and had his arms wide open reaching in his direction. His father was smiling down at him, a smile so bright and so similar to his mother’s Younghyun could hardly believe he had actually ran and jumped in his father’s embrace, holding on tightly and being held equally tight.</p><p>“You grew a strong boy,” Daroll told him smiling and the next second Younghyun could no longer feel the floor under his feet. At being carried he also held his father with his small legs. “I missed you, Younghyun. You and your mother and I am back home.” Daroll assured looking lovingly at Hyunhwa as she caressed her son’s hair with her heart overflowing with happiness at having her love back in her reach.</p><p>“I missed daddy too.” Younghyun mumbled in his neck still holding on tightly. His father had the same warm smile his mother had, his father also had a kind voice, but where his mother had the warmest touch, his father felt as cold as the winter, maybe because he had been traveling under the snow that had been falling even before he woke up that morning. He didn’t care though, his father was hugging him and that was all that mattered.</p><p>He heard the rustling sounds of a dress a few moments later and a female voice spoke starling him, because it was a voice Younghyun didn’t know, a voice that was sounding slightly angry. “Junghwa.”</p><p>They all turned to the voice and Younghyun felt once again shaken and worried, people said his mother was not really his father’s wife, could it be that that beautiful woman was actually his father’s wife and she would send him and his mother away?</p><p>“I am sorry to interrupt the reunion, but apparently there’s some problems at the farm, Chungyeol already went there with Jia and Elena to solve the matter. What are we supposed to do?” she asked bowing shortly in their direction.</p><p>His father sighed looking shortly at Younghyun’s mother and then back at the other woman. “We are staying here, I trust Chungyeol to deal properly with whatever went wrong there.”</p><p>The other woman bowed, but before she left she looked directly at Younghyun’s mother and smirked. “Hyunhwa, Daroll brought back an arc full of dresses and jewels for you, you should have seen him going almost all the time ‘ah this will look good on Hyunhwa’. He was almost as horrible as Jia shopping.”</p><p>Younghyun looked in confusion to his mother, the other woman and then his father who had cleared his throat before he spoke a little harsher. “Mishra.”</p><p>The woman called Mishra just smirked even more before she left. His mother started to giggle and his father sighed mumbling a ‘it was supposed to be a surprise’, but being the curious and slightly insecure boy he was, Younghyun gathered his voice. “Who was that woman?” his parents looked at him and found adorable the pout on his lips.</p><p>“That’s dad’s little cousin. Her name is Mishra.” Younghyun heard his dad reply softly.</p><p>Not long after a few servants entered the house carrying big and apparently heavy arcs, behind them entered Mishra and another young man Younghyun didn’t know. “Omo!” the guy said as his eyes landed on Younghyun in Daroll’s arms. “Hyung! The baby is not crying. Ah, he grew so much.” Younghyun pouted at the stranger who approached and messed his hair. “Hello there, Younghyun, I am Sungmin hyung! Your dad’s little cousin, and that is my older sister, Mishra.” He pointed behind.</p><p>Younghyun could do nothing but stare at them for a few minutes, before he concluded. “You don’t look alike at all.”</p><p>His words made the adults laugh. “Smart kid, Chungyeol will love him,” Sungmin cheered before he walked over to Hyunhwa, took her hand a pulled her into a small hug. “I am back, noona. You didn’t miss me too much, right?” Younghyun watched curiously as his mother smiled that bright happy smile of hers while hugging ‘Sungmin hyung’ back, Younghyun chanced a glance at his father and smiled at seeing him smiling.</p><p>After that they had taken seats and started talking about what they had seen at the islands. Younghyun had no clue what they were talking about and nor did he know where the place was but he still tried to picture in his head what the places could be like. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, all he knew was that his father had never let go of him till dinner was served. That night it was not his mother tucking him to bed but his father. Younghyun thought he was too happy to fall asleep again but soon he was dreaming the same dream he had been having for a while now: him running around in the garden after a butterfly and then his mother calling him to eat under the tree, as he turned around his mother was there sitting with his father, but other than having a shadow covering his father’s face now he could see clearly.</p><p>The next day Younghyun woke up with a start, his heart beating fast. He was afraid the previous day had been only a weird dream. He ran to his mother’s room but there was nobody there, he panicked at that and ran as fast as he could downstairs. As he stood in the living room he could hear strange sounds, as if someone was hitting chopsticks against each other, but much louder. He pulled the door to the veranda open and that was when he saw it had not been a dream.</p><p>His father was in the garden with two silvery swords in hand, fighting Sungmin who was also holding on to two swords, but they looked very different from anything Younghyun had seen before. Suddenly he felt scared. Why were they fighting? Sungmin hyung wouldn’t hurt his father, right? The little boy watched in a trance as they seemed to be dancing while their swords collided with each other in loud clangs. Suddenly his father made a sequence of moves causing Sungmin hyung so stumble backwards. Younghyun closed his eyes as his father’s sword moved to cut Sungmin’s head.</p><p>“Aish! Won’t I ever win?!” he heard Sungmin complaining and Younghyun looked up again, they were still in the same position, his father’s sword centimeters of the other’s neck.</p><p>His father smiled. “Against me, I don’t think you ever will.” He had said and Younghyun was sure nobody could be stronger than his daddy.</p><p>Daroll had been the first to 'see' Younghyun standing at the veranda watching them. He showed him a sweet smile as he greeted good morning. Younghyun beamed at confirming it had not been a dream, that his father was really there. "Morning, dad!" he shouted running to Daroll to give him a hug, he had been so mesmerized by his father opening his arms and welcoming him in a tight hug that Younghyun hadn't seen his mother smiling as she watched the scene from the tea table near the tall oak tree in the yard.</p><p>"Won’t hyung gain a greeting too?" Sungmin pouted but Younghyun had not really been affected by it, the boy simply turned to the petit young man greeting him with an overly happy 'morning, hyung'.</p><p>Daroll took the boy to the tea table where breakfast had already been served by Hyunhwa and for the first time Younghyun had it sitting on his father's lap. Every day followed that routine of Younghyun waking up to his father training with Sungmin and after that, having breakfast at the yard, if it was not snowing, until one morning it was not his father training with Sungmin, but another guy with shoulder length red hair. Despite it being a different opponent Sungmin still lost. "Jia! Get down here and train with me! It had been too long since the last time I won a spar!" Sungmin complained and only then did Younghyun notice there were other people watching the two fighting from the veranda. A tall male with black hair and a beautiful woman with medium red hair were seated at the opposite side of the table where Younghyun’s parents were, as well as Mishra.</p><p>“Another time, Sungmin, let’s have breakfast.” His father called on to the complaining male and then turned to Younghyun calling him over to sit with him. The child had never imagined that along with his father so many more people could come and live with them. During breakfast he got acquainted to the other cousin his father had, Kim Chungyeol, his wife Kim Chanae and her brother Jaesung.</p><p>“You don’t look alike at all.” Younghyun commented with his mouth half full and Chungyeol smirked.</p><p>“Smart boy. I’m sure I’m going to love you.” The red haired commented. Younghyun thought those words were familiar but he couldn’t pin point why.</p><p>Younghyun had been so amazed and happy from having so much more to do with his days and so much more people to do things with he didn’t really notice when his birthday came. Instead of waking up on his own, his father had been the one to pull him from dreamland, the first to wish him happy birthday. Everything still felt too much like a dream, how his house had been suddenly so fancily decorated overnight, the many nobles coming to his house that evening for the feast his father gave in celebration of his sixth birthday.</p><p>That day all of Younghyun’s insecurity died away as his father proclaimed him to be his heir. Daroll had never thought he could become so attached to a human child, yet for the sake of his son’s smile he proclaimed Hyunhwa to be the only love of his life, the only Mrs. Park they would ever know.</p><p>From his sixth birthday onwards Younghyun’s life became busier. Chungyeol insisted the kid should know how to hold on to a sword properly and as result Younghyun was to train everyday with him and Sungmin the art of the sword mastering. Elena also took upon her the task of teaching the letters and numbers along with geography and everything they deemed necessary for him to run all of Daroll’s business in the future. Jia was the one teaching him how to recognize a rough diamond and how to polish it so to say, in a sense Younghyun hated this ‘classes’ the most because it meant hours shopping. One of the classes he liked the most after the Sword Mastering were the riding lessons he had with Mishra, she could tame any horse and it had always amazed him how she seemed so connected with animals.</p><p>The years passed and without notice, Younghyun no longer played with the servants’ kids, whenever he was round other boys they had always been other nobles’ kids, but they were not really fun to be around. Once Younghyun told them he missed playing with his other friends, those pompous kids retorted the servants had only played with him because he’s the master, not because they were his friends. A true noble should never befriend a servant.</p><p>Younghyun didn’t like the sound of those words, he was twelve then, almost a full grown up man and remembering the insecurities and how he and his mother had been shunned when his father was away, it was not difficult to conclude something else from their words, strangely he didn’t feel bad for what he said afterwards.</p><p>“If they are not my friends, then neither are you. You’re here just because it’s convenient for your parents to stay close to me. You are not my friends either. It’s so sad to live a life without friends, I am glad I have my hyungs and noonas to turn up to.”</p><p>Of course the other kids didn’t like to hear that, Younghyun was basically saying he didn’t need them as in fact they ‘needed’ the ‘friends’ status. From that day onwards Younghyun would always retort their comments with lines that would hurt their pride and also show how much better than them he was. It didn’t take long for those kids to challenge him into spars and knowledge contests, the result would always be the same: Younghyun was better, especially with fighting, not knowing Chungyeol and Sungmin had actually trained him to become faster than other humans, naturally Younghyun was able to perfectly read his opponents’ movements and act before they did.</p><p>With only slight resent Younghyun concluded the position those boys were, was exactly the same position he was whenever his opponent was one of his hyungs, even Jia being extremely awkward fighting was still faster than him. It kind of pissed him because he was tasting what his hyungs tasted whenever they won against him.</p><p>Because of this Younghyun developed an arrogant personality, he was still the same sweet and lovable boy in front of his family, but to anyone else he was snarky and cold, a master in ignoring whoever so they could feel how inferior they were. More often than not Younghyun would be seen either alone or with someone from his family, he indeed had no single friend.</p><p>Despite that he was still seen as the perfect option for a son-in-law, hence after he became fourteen other families started showing interest into marrying him to their daughters. Daroll was well aware of the fact, but he had long decided his son was to choose his bride, having the option to stay alone if that’s what he wanted, yet he never really had that talk with neither Hyunhwa nor Younghyun.</p><p>It had been a week Daroll was staying at the farm with Sungmin and Mishra while Chungyeol, Jia and Elena stayed in the city, all for the sake of hiding from Younghyun the truth about them being vampires and blood dolls. It was a day nothing was going right for Younghyun.</p><p>With his father being away he had been the one responsible for receiving the visitors and that particular day a certain noble had come by to discuss about a marital contract. Younghyun had been taken aback by the topic, he had never once pondered about getting married and he certainly had no interest in any of the ladies he knew.</p><p>He had tried his best to avoid being harsh with the older man and politely say he was not interested, even his mother had been pulled into the matter, the noble telling her to advise him he had to choose a wife soon.</p><p>“I am sorry, I am in no position to choose with whom Younghyun is to marry. I am sure it’s Younghyun himself who’s to choose and if not, his father would surely pick the best bride.” His mother told the man who scoffed feeling offended at the implicit that his daughter was not the best one. It took them longer than they wished to shoo the man away. That visit only brought dread to Younghyun’s soul.</p><p>“Father wouldn’t marry me to just anyone, right?” He asked his mother who had a pensive expression as she looked at her son.</p><p>“I don’t think so. But that man is right. You’re in the perfect age to get engaged, most of the nobles will come seek you as their in-law.” Hyunhwa retorted softly, seeing her boy didn’t want any of that. He was like his father, he would wait for the right person to arrive in his life.</p><p>“I do not want to have anything to do with those old hags. If not for father being here they would still be treating us badly. I never forgot how they kept whispering behind our back when I was small. I didn’t know much back then, but I knew they were the source of my sadness.” Younghyun retorted annoyed with the prospect of having to go through that kind of conversation again. Hyunhwa knew her son had always been too smart for his own good, so for him she tried to come up with a solution.</p><p>“The best way to avoid them is making them believe you’re not viable,” She then said caressing his cheeks and then his hair. She loved his confused expression. “Your father has many business partners at Nishinari, he had been there those years we spent apart, we could let it slip your father had already selected a bride for you there. It would be believable.” She explained her train of thoughts and Younghyun smirked, it was indeed a good plan.</p><p>Such a good plan could really be real so the next second he was frowning at his mother. “Father did not engage me while I was a baby with some girl from the Islands right?” Hyunhwa had to giggle at his question.</p><p>“Silly. If your father had done so he would have told me already. I do not believe your father would meddle in your love life. Your father had been alone before he found me, why wouldn’t he let you do the same?” she tried to calm him down and it worked.</p><p>A few hours later an invitation arrived for the Parks to have dinner at some other noble’s house, the marriage implied by the way they had written how their daughter wished to give Younghyun a small gift.</p><p>The prospect for being bothered by the matter led Younghyun to suddenly decide to spend the rest of the week with his father at the farm. He ordered the servants to prepare his horse.</p><p>“Mom, you should come too. Wait for Chungyeol hyung to come back from shopping with Jia hyung and join us there, we can get our servants to spread the news I am already engaged since birth with someone from the Islands.” He told her already packing a few things to leave.</p><p>Hyunhwa knew it would not be safe for him to just walk around alone like that, she knew about the vampires wishing to hurt Daroll but she couldn’t say that to Younghyun, even if he was her son she was not allowed to tell him that truth about his father and his family. She tried her best to persuade him to stay, even Elena did so but the youngster was resolute, he climbed his horse and left after giving his mother a small kiss.</p><p>Elena didn’t waste time into looking for Chungyeol to warn him about Younghyun leaving just like that. It had put an abrupt end to their business in the city. Hyunhwa couldn’t be left alone unprotected anymore so Elena and Jia stayed with her, preparing their things to go to the farm anyway. Chungyeol had taken his horse and tried to reach Younghyun, but the boy’s horse had been the faster, for a moment the vampire pondered about just run after the clueless human kid and that’s exactly what he did, he climbed down his horse and instructed it to go to the farm with the techniques Mishra had taught him.</p><p>Chungyeol managed to find Younghyun and made sure he got to the farm safely. He made sure nobody noticed him stalking the human as he made his way inside the main house. The servants greeted Younghyun surprised as there were no words of him coming.</p><p>“My mother, hyungs and noona are coming later. Where is my father?” He told the governess as she took his coat to hang it for him.</p><p>“Master Junghwa is at the fields with lady Mishra.” The old woman told him with a smile, despite the fact that she had never really approved of her masters’ choice she still became fond of the child she helped bring to the world.</p><p>Younghyun frowned slightly at those words. “And Sungmin hyung? Why is he not with father?” he asked.</p><p>The old woman smiled sadly, her eyes forming crescents as her face became full of wrinkles. “Young master Sungmin is resting in his room, he didn’t step out of it all day, it was even lady Mishra who brought him his meals.”</p><p>Those words had worried Younghyun and he quickly made his way to check on his hyung, ignoring the old governess telling him the young master had asked not to be bothered by anyone. Younghyun scoffed and he climbed the stairs two steps a time, he was not ‘anyone’, he was Sungmin’s favorite dongsaeng – let alone the fact he was the only one.</p><p>Younghyun knocked on the door softly calling for his hyung, upon getting no reply he made his way in. “Sungmin hyung,” he called closing the door behind him. “Are you still not feeling well?” he asked concerned but then frowned as his eyes landed on Sungmin’s face. He was much paler than usual.</p><p>“Hyung,” Younghyun tried calling again, reaching over to lightly shake his hyung. He felt something heavy inside of him, he didn’t like seeing Sungmin like that. The older male gave no signs of life and thus Younghyun reached for his forehead to check the other’s temperature. He pulled his hand away right after. Sungmin was cold, too cold to be healthy. Younghyun panicked then because his brain could conclude just one thing: Sungmin was dead.</p><p>Younghyun hesitantly reached to check Sungmin’s pulse but before he could do so he heard the sounds of footsteps and immediately recognized it to be his father’s. He turned to the door the exact moment Daroll opened it, with an unreadable expression. “Younghyun? Why did you come here so suddenly?” his father asked in a whisper not entering but making a hand sign for Younghyun to come to him.</p><p>A little desperately Younghyun reached for his father. “Dad, Sungmin hyung… I think he is dead…” the teenager whispered in terror, but Daroll smiled reassuringly.</p><p>He patted his son’s shoulder and pulled him out of the room closing the door behind him. “Don’t be silly. Sungmin is just sleeping.”</p><p>Somehow Younghyun couldn’t believe the tone his father had used, so casual and sure of himself. “But, dad, he was so pale and cold! I had never felt him that cold.” The boy wailed in mortification and still slight panic, it was obvious how important Sungmin was to the boy, while Jia had been Younghyun’s favorite hyung when he was a baby, now the title was clearly Sungmin’s.</p><p>Daroll patted his shoulder and he guided his son to his study room. “Sungmin had not been feeling so well since we came here, after we had our meals Mishra gave him some herbal tea for him to sleep and recover, it must have been some side effect. Sungmin just needs to rest and you need not to worry. He’ll come down to have dinner with us you’ll see.” Daroll assured with a calming tone and as it had always happened Younghyun calmed down and fully believed his father.</p><p>“Now tell me why you are here, and alone nonetheless. You know I do not appreciate you wandering alone, the roads are not safe for lone travelers.” The older scolded and Younghyun had to grin slightly. He knew he had disobeyed his father, but he figured he had a good reason to back him up.</p><p>“I am sorry. It had been a spur of the moment decision, but I was really pissed.” Younghyun started as his father opened the door to the study room. Daroll looked at him curiously then as they made their way to the chairs in silence.</p><p>“About what may I know?” Daroll inquired then as they were both comfortable and looking at each other.</p><p>Younghyun smiled sadly before answering despite the fact that he didn’t really have to. “You know I don’t really have friends and the fact that I dislike the other nobles’ kids, I hate the fact they tried to befriend me just because of who I am to the society,” The boy started and Daroll had already figured what would come next. “Mommy said I am in the right age to be engaged, but I really don’t want any of the candidates they are offering me so willingly.”</p><p>Daroll sighed contented for his son to be able to know when others were trying to use him like that. He was a very smart kid and Daroll couldn’t be more proud. “Running here won’t keep you safe from their advances forever. You know that.” He replied making Younghyun look at him with a not so graceful pout.</p><p>“Mother already has a plan for that.” Younghyun retorted slumping against his chair and Daroll looked curiously at him. The youngster proceeded to explain his mother’s plan and Daroll could not hold in his laughter, no wonder his son was that smart with a mother like Hyunhwa. They spent the next hours conversing about how to make his fake fiancée become even more believable and how the farm was doing.</p><p>They had only been interrupted by a knock on the door and then Mishra coming in with a surprised expression. “Hyun Baby! Why are you here alone?” she questioned hugging the boy and then sitting at the arm rest of his chair.</p><p>Younghyun cringed at the endearment but replied nevertheless. “Mom should be arriving soon with Chungyeol hyung, Chanae noona and Jaesung hyung. Noona, stop calling me a baby.” He informed and complained.</p><p>Mishra just grinned as she shot him with a mockingly “But you are our baby!”.</p><p>Daroll watched the exchange amused, especially by the fact that Mishra had after all blended so well with them. The lady then turned to him and questioned. “The dinner will be ready soon, shall we wait for them to arrive?”</p><p>The master of the house pondered for a while and then nodded. “Let’s wait for them. I am sure they won’t take long to arrive. Younghyun, go refresh yourself and change these clothes before dinner, I am going to do that as well. Mishra go check on Sungmin, the tea you gave him won’t have him knocked out until tomorrow, right?” Mishra didn’t know what Daroll was talking about but she smiled and answered without missing a beat.</p><p>“Of course not. You know he gets cranky if he does not eat.” Despite not knowing what had happened in Sungmin’s room she still noticed how Younghyun had momentarily stiffened and then relaxed at her assuring words.</p><p>Later that evening the other members of the family arrived at the farm and Younghyun had to hear scolding from Chungyeol as well for leaving just like that. They had all refreshed themselves and were ready to have dinner when a certain voice made Younghyun jump and then sigh in relief. “I take the afternoon to rest and you all come here unannounced?” Sungmin mumbled but he didn’t have his bubbly self in full blast, he did seem rather sick and it just added for Younghyun to believe nothing was wrong.</p><p>That had been the only time Younghyun almost discovered the secret. Daroll didn’t know if he should have used that opportunity to just be open with the boy. If he had done that, maybe the happenings of years later wouldn’t have been so badly taken.</p><p>Younghyun was seventeen when Daroll decided they had lived at the same place for too long so he ordered his coven to pack as they would move south and live closer to the ocean, near the border of Yeonjin Country. Hyunhwa had been taken aback by his decision, especially because this time he was going to take both her and Younghyun with him.</p><p>Not knowing how that decision was a particularly dangerous one, Younghyun himself had been excited to go and know new places. Their departure had been sudden and nobody they used to know in that city was to see them again. Younghyun had been thrilled throughout the whole trip, even welcoming the long stops they would make as Jia declared he had seen something he needed to buy.</p><p>Daroll felt glad they had not been disturbed or attacked along the way, even managing to settle with easy at the beautiful city, the new language had been a challenge to Hyunhwa, Younghyun, Sungmin and Mishra, but the others diligently helped them and taught what they were supposed to know. They lived there for a few more years and Daroll pleasantly found there a kindred master in white weapons, who crafted for Younghyun a very elegant platinum and silver sword, not that the human kid actually knew what he had gained for his twenty-first birthday.</p><p>By that time Prince Daehyun had been having some problems with disloyal kindreds and had requested from Daroll for him to come and stand beside him. Somehow over the years Daroll’s coven had gained the fame of being one of the most powerful and weaker kindreds tended to look up to those. Daehyun knew that having Daroll beside him would remind some of them how exactly he had acquired the Prince status and hoped that with Daroll showing obedience to him the ones admiring the kindred would obey him as well.</p><p>Chungyeol didn’t like much the idea of getting too close to Prince Daehyun again, but they figured he could provide some protection for their humans so when Younghyun was twenty-two he met the Vampire Prince for the first time, said person passing by as an old friend of his father whom they would be visiting for a while. They were supposed to stay there for a few months, a year in the most, but their plans got messed up.</p><p>They couldn’t foresee Younghyun’s real father could show up and claim the kid the way it happened. It all started with one of the balls Prince Daehyun offered to both his closest kindreds and humans he needed to back up his social status. Daroll had taken Hyunhwa and Younghyun to it as his wife and heir, they had never expected Younghyun’s real father to be there.</p><p>The man had immediately recognized Hyunhwa as she entered the ballroom, when his eyes landed on Younghyun he knew that young man was most probably his son. They were extremely alike, Younghyun was practically a younger version of himself.</p><p>The man cursed under his breath. If it was true, then he had been very unfortunate, when he still lived at the countryside his wife had given birth to a girl and he was not satisfied with that, he had been seeing Summer for quite a while as his wife recovered from giving birth so he could impregnate his wife again, he had been pissed with the fact his favorite hooker had been taken away from him. He had moved to the capital for better business, he had gotten more than his wife to carry his seed but only her had given birth, he had ordered to kill all the hookers’ babies because he wouldn’t give a bastard the right to have any piece of his money, yet his wife had given him five daughters and he refused to have a woman inherit his fortune as well. Therefore a few years back he had ordered his servants to find each and every hooker he had been with and the possible kids he could have had with them.</p><p>Summer had been one of them with a child that survived, he knew the guy she had been entertaining had recognized the child as his but at that moment his brain thought about the possibility of that young man to be his bastard son so he decided to grab it. Unceremoniously while the boy was away from his parents he approached Mr. and Mrs. Park with a wide smile.</p><p>“Look who do we have here. The years have been good to the both of you, you didn’t seem to have aged at all. How are you doing, Summer?” he greeted them earning a surprised stare from Hyunhwa and a murderous glare from Daroll.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you do not remember me anymore. We had so many great nights together before Junghwa-ssi stole you from the cabaret. I heard much later you had been pregnant. Your son turned into a very handsome man, I see. But he is not at all alike with you, Junghwa-ssi. He reminds me of someone though,” The man continued and Daroll couldn’t deny the resemblance, looking at that man he could easily picture how Younghyun would look like in the future but he still couldn’t understand why they had been approached like that. “I hope we can talk later with more privacy, it had been a while that I have been looking for my son. You’re so kind to bring him to me.” The man continued with a sickening bright smile before he patted Daroll’s shoulder and left.</p><p>That night, before they went back home, Daroll asked Prince Daehyun who that human was and where to find him. Later he sent Sungmin to find the guy and make sure that man was really Younghyun’s father and if they should worry. Diligently, the youngest dragon left followed closely by Mishra venturing in her red fox form. Sungmin managed to stalk the man by even getting in his room and feeding from him to make sure about the taste and there was no doubt, the foreign male scent in Younghyun came from that man.</p><p>For two days Sungmin and Mishra stalked him to learn what they needed to know and Daroll was not at all pleased with the report the two had for him.</p><p>“His name is Jung Youngho and he is very influential at the capital. He has a wife and five daughters. I heard he wants a male to inherit his fortune, but since he had never considered passing it to one of his bastards, he had ordered their deaths. But now that he’s old and his wife seems unable to give birth to more kids he is searching for any possible bastard he has that had escaped his hands, unfortunately Younghyun seems to be the only ‘lucky’ one.” Sungmin relayed and for the first time he saw Daroll’s expression turn that extent of cruel and dark, he was sure his sire was ready for murder.</p><p>Hyunhwa had seemed to share his worry as she herself had cornered Sungmin and asked him to tell her what they had found out. She had begged Daroll to leave that place, but he was bound by the vow he gave Prince Daehyun, he was not supposed to leave. “He can’t do us harm, Hyunhwa. Younghyun wouldn’t believe in him.” He had tried to reason but he himself couldn’t fully believe that. He dreaded what was to come even if he didn’t know what was to happen.</p><p>Youngho had come and visited Daroll’s house one day, surprising them all, he even brought his wife and his older daughter to the visit. The talk had been amicable despite the tense atmosphere, the whole time Daroll had studied Younghyun’s behavior as well as the other two human women’s in the house. They were tense. Youngho’s wife would often glare at Hyunhwa as well as their daughter would glare at Younghyun. Daroll could only conclude they knew who the boy was and what his existence could mean.</p><p>Daroll heaved a sigh of relief as they left without as much mention they had lived at the same city before Younghyun was born, but he could tell that man was going to cause them problems. It was confirmed when three days later Younghyun came back home and tell-taled about meeting Youngho while he was shopping with Jia and how the man approached him in a weird friendly way, saying he was starting to see Younghyun as the son he couldn’t have. Daroll couldn’t keep his emotions in check, that even the clueless boy noticed his father didn’t want him close to the noble.</p><p>At other times Youngho coincidentally was at the places Younghyun was visiting, and once he couldn’t hold in the comment. “Why is it I never see you alone, Younghyun-ssi? Your father is that much overprotective?”</p><p>Younghyun didn’t like how that man talked about his father, so he smiled, more like smirked, before replying. “Why walk alone when I have such good company of my hyungs? I wished my father had more time to walk around with me, but lately Daehyun-ssi is stealing too much of his time.”</p><p>Youngho did not appreciate the reply, so around one month after Daroll’s coven arrived back at the capital the first incident occurred. In the middle of the night, humans sneaked inside the house, easily making their way to Daroll’s room with the intent to kill both him and Hyunhwa. The attack was fruitless and Youngho did not appreciate seeing those men he had paid so much to laying in front of his house as dead beggars.</p><p>What Daroll didn’t know was that Prince Daehyun was not only having problems with disloyal kindreds but hunters as well. And to his misfortune those humans in particular decided to side with Youngho after they watched the human send other three unsuccessful attempts in killing Daroll and his family. The hunters had seen in Youngho’s selfishness a good source of money.</p><p>They had not flowered the situation to the noble, explaining calmly why he had been failing and what he should do. At first Youngho did not believe them, but the more he would pay attention to the small details about Park Junghwa and his ‘cousins’ the more he would trust the hunters. It didn’t take more than three weeks for them to have an agreement. Youngho didn’t really care who they were to kill or what they were to do with the vampires, but he wanted the hooker dead and Younghyun to be brought to him, if they succeeded on that he would become their patron giving them the money they needed to get weapons against those monsters.</p><p>The hunters had chosen a day Chungyeol was supposed to sleep in the Vampire Prince’s hideout as to not be discovered by Younghyun, Daroll had been there guarding his progeny along with Mishra, so at the house remained only the blood dolls and Sungmin to protect Hyunhwa and Younghyun. They invaded the house without ceremony. Jia and Elena had been the first to reach Hyunhwa as they felt the smell of strange scent in the house, Sungmin tried to intercept them but they were seven against one coming in through different directions.</p><p>A few hunters imprisoned the human servants working for the vampires, not sure if they knew the secret or not, others climbed up to find their targets. Younghyun had been in the library reading while Hyunhwa had been in her room resting. Elena and Jia had been the ones to come to her aid but at that small space it was hard to fight. Hyunhwa ran to a corner and crouched down not understanding fully what was happening. At the library Sungmin had ran to Younghyun but was surprised to see the two hunters were trying not to fight the young man back. He snarled at them not thinking too much, his only worry was to protect Younghyun. The sound had startled the three of them, in special Younghyun who looked at his hyung astonished.</p><p>“Yes, bloodsucker, show him your true self!” One of the hunters shouted at Sungmin while the other turned to Younghyun.</p><p>“Look closely, young man, this one in front of you is not what you believe he is! He is a vampire! They had all been lying to you! We came here to free you!”</p><p>Younghyun breathed heavily looking at the intruders and at Sungmin, somehow the part about Sungmin being a vampire made sense, he had remembered that time he thought Sungmin was dead, but his father said he had just been sleeping. Yet he didn’t want to believe.</p><p>“Why would I believe you?!” he shouted back, trying to hit the man with his sword, but just like his hyungs, the man was much faster than he wanted to believe.</p><p>“They had all been lying to you! The woman you call mother included! She knows about them! The one you know as Park Junghwa is actually a vampire named Daroll, your real father had spent years looking for you, they had stolen you from him. Your real father wants you back, Younghyun.” The guy retorted making Sungmin snarl again and in a flash he had his hand choking the man.</p><p>Younghyun blinked at the impossible speed.</p><p>“Piece of shit! I will not allow you to feed him lies!” Sungmin was saying as the other hunter he was not holding tried to attack him, Sungmin let go jumping back and placing himself in front of the young human he needed to protect. “Younghyun, don’t listen to them. Back away and hide, I will deal with them.” Sungmin told him keeping his eyes fixated on the hunters.</p><p>“I will fight with you!” Younghyun protested but Sungmin snarled again.</p><p>“You’re too slow for them! You don’t stand a chance, I doubt even Jia and Elena would stand a chance against them, just listen to me, Younghyun! You’re in danger, your mother is in danger, so just listen to me!” the vampire retorted charging at the enemy with his two swords. For a moment Younghyun was left rooted in the spot, he could barely see them moving around the room and the clangs of metal were just too close to each other, it was impossible.</p><p>Younghyun shook his head as suddenly the fight was over and only Sungmin was standing. Younghyun felt nauseous not because the blood dripping from Sungmin’s swords, but because the moment his favorite hyung looked at him, he could only see a monster with pearl white fangs and deep blood red eyes.</p><p>“Vampire…” Younghyun breathed holding his sword with a strong grip, replaying the words the dead guy said. Everybody had lied to him? The family he knew was all composed by vampires?</p><p>“We were going to tell you, Younghyun, later, when you would be twenty five or so, we didn’t want you to find out like this,” Sungmin said with a strange cold tone. “We love you, Younghyun, you shall never forget it.” The vampire said before vanishing from Younghyun’s sight. For a moment he felt lost, suddenly it seemed he didn’t live a real life. Then he remembered what Sungmin had said about his mother being in danger. His mother was not a vampire.</p><p>Not thinking too much he ran to his parents’ room and as he approached he could hear the clangs of metal and the terrified screams from his mother. He wanted to enter the room but suddenly a hand pulled him against a strong chest and then muffled his scream for help. “No, young man. I am taking you to your father. You’re the only one that shall come out alive. Your daddy’s order.”</p><p>Younghyun couldn’t believe how a human could be so strong, because now he could tell who was and who was not human around him, Elena and Jia along with his mother had always been warmer, his father and his cousins had always been colder, flashes of Sungmin ‘sleeping’ crossed his mind again and he stopped struggling. He didn’t know in what he should believe.</p><p>Suddenly the man holding him shouted in pain and let go of Younghyun’s face. Surprised Younghyun looked at the man and then noticed he had been trying to free his foot from something, the boy glanced down and was surprised to see a red fox biting at his captor. Younghyun didn’t know why but he shouted. “Sungmin hyung!”</p><p>But the other did not attend his call, instead Daroll’s deep voice filled the air with a low menacing tone. “Let go of my son.”</p><p>The hunter looked back at the other and smirked as his eyes landed on Daroll. “Look closely, Younghyun-ssi. Look at the truth. The one you had been calling father is but a monster that kills humans to feed, only few of us knows what they are and we exist solely to destroy them. Look closely at all the lies he had fed you, boy.” He spoke smilingly as he noticed and felt Younghyun was scared shitless, because right in front of him was not the kind man he knew as his father, but, as that stranger said, a monster that feeds on human blood.</p><p>“I told you to let go.” Daroll spoke again with the same acid tone but the hunter did not listen.</p><p>The next words spoken surprised everyone there. “Let go of me, you won’t be able to kill him holding on to me. I will go with you,” Younghyun had said firmly and he did not miss the evident hurt in Daroll’s face. “My whole life had been a lie, you probably brainwashed my mother or something. I want you dead and since I know I can’t do it, I’ll just watch.” he continued and in the next second the hunter let go of him.</p><p>“Smart kid,” He said with mockingly pride as he charged against Daroll. But those two words registered in Younghyun’s brain with a different voice and a different face, speaking in a different scene and moment. He saw in his head Chungyeol smiling down at him. He had always loved how Chungyeol would praise him with those words.</p><p>Younghyun took a step back not averting his eyes from the two in front of him. He watched with a heavy heart as the hunter charged against Daroll. His expression continued serious as he tried to see what was going on in front of him, but to his dismay he could barely see a blur of motion. He kept on taking steps back trying to reach the bedroom and get to his mother. When he managed to stop in front of the opening he could see bodies on the floor and a whole load of blood splashed everywhere but suddenly his eyes landed on a particular body. "Mother!" He shrieked running inside the room.</p><p>Elena was desperately trying to stop the blood flow, they had had the upper hand of the fight until they heard Younghyun being taken hostage at the corridor, a hunter managed to gravelly wound Jia and charged against Hyunhwa who had no means of protecting herself. Elena and Sungmin still tried to save her but the hunter had been too close and they too far from her. The wound was fatal. "Mom!" Younghyun cried holding her frail body to him. "Mom, no, please no!"</p><p>Hyunhwa coughed blood as he tried to speak, after taking a deep breath she managed to call for Junghwa, her voice frail but he still could hear and certainly Daroll faintly could hear it as well from the corridor.</p><p>Younghyun held his mother and tried to keep her from falling asleep, but with each second it proved to be useless, his mother became paler as she kept on calling for Junghwa, breaking Younghyun’s heart because he knew his mother was aware his father was just fighting outside the room. Younghyun could only mumble the words he knew would calm her down "Mom, everything will be fine, Dad won't lose, you know that!" Her despair was getting to him and he could feel his body trembling as his heart kept on beating painfully in worry. "Dad!" he called then feeling like the five years old child desperately wishing his father would come back home.</p><p>His word caused the hunter to attack Daroll more fiercely. "You little liar! You are choosing the wrong side, boy!" the man shouted but Younghyun did his best to ignore him. The hunter tried to jump past Daroll and rid himself from one of his targets but he was intercepted by the red fox, as well as Sungmin who exited the room and locked the door.</p><p>Elena reached for Hyunhwa and helped Younghyun in the task of keeping the female alive. "No one can beat Daroll, Hyunhwa," she whispered and the human quieted down slightly holding on to Younghyun’s hand with whatever strength she had left.</p><p>Once they were locked inside the room did Younghyun notice Elena was actually hurt, as well as Jia. His expression must have spoken a thousand words because Jia pulled him into a weak embrace. "We’ll all be fine, Younghyun. We will all be fine." despite his voice being firm it was still laced with pain and sadness as if he was trying to convince himself of his words. Younghyun looked at them as if he was seeing them for the first time.</p><p>Suddenly the battle cries from the hunter turned into pained yells before silence took place. No words were spoken then. Elena simply stood up and opened the door, Daroll had been the first to get in and rush to his Hyunhwa. Only as he crouched down in front of her did she let go of Younghyun to hold on to Daroll.</p><p>"I am sorry..." she started but Daroll asked her not to speak. His tone had been so pained, his expression was so heartbroken, all the others in the room felt the need to never see that again.</p><p>"Keep your energy Hyunhwa, please." Daroll practically sobbed. Younghyun intently looked at the vampire beside him, he could swear his father was supposed to be crying, his expression said that but there were no tears, his deep red eyes were glistering but that was all, somehow it seemed even more painful than if there were tears.</p><p>"Mishra, give her blood!" Sungmin suddenly said startling everybody.</p><p>Younghyun shrieked thinking he meant turn her into a vampire but Daroll’s voice was the loudest.</p><p>"You can't!" he started but Sungmin shook his head.</p><p>"Hyung, she is chained to you, she can't drink your blood but maybe if it's Mishra it will work, she doesn't share your blood!" there was an agonizing silence and Hyunhwa coughed blood again. "Mishra, now!" Sungmin shouted and this time Daroll didn't oppose. The gangrel took that as an approval so she morphed back into a human, not wasting time in tearing the skin of her wrist and giving Hyunhwa blood.</p><p>Because of the sudden transformation Younghyun was too shocked to react, he just watched. They all watched. Hyunhwa arched her back, yes the wounds healed but she was breathing with too much difficulty. After three deep intakes of air she spoke her last words. "Junghwa... I am sorry... I love you... Hyun... Younghyun I love you... Junghwa... Please find... Me... Again..." and she died.</p><p>Younghyun shouted in angst for the sudden loss and cried holding on to his mother. He couldn't know how long he kept crying but he was brought back to reality and noticed the other people in the room when Sungmin spoke with a very low voice. "I’m sorry,"</p><p>Mishra held him also feeling guilty. "I failed you."</p><p>Younghyun looked at him feeling extremely angry but at seeing how Sungmin was holding on to Mishra, as well as the way Elena and Jia were close to him trying to take the blame from him, his angriness dissipated because it was clear Sungmin was hurting possibly as much as he was. "Chungyeol will wake up soon, go to him, Sungmin, and be careful of how you'll tell him what happened. Mishra go find where the hunters are hiding." Daroll spoke with a cold pained tone.</p><p>Younghyun kept his eyes on them for a while before those deep red eyes of Daroll landed on him. "Younghyun," he spoke softly and Younghyun could clearly hear the hesitation and the fear of rejection in Daroll’s tone. Younghyun couldn't keep his emotions in check, he cried as he jumped Daroll and held the vampire tightly. The familiar cold temperature of his body felt strangely comforting. It has always felt like that. Daroll held him relieved for not losing the boy as well.</p><p>"We’ll go to Chungyeol now." Sungmin spoke as coldly as his sire had and Younghyun still managed to look up and see him leave together with Mishra, once again in her red fox form. He took that opportunity to let go and put his thoughts and emotions in place, he asked what exactly had happened and why someone was trying to get him. He didn’t really like the reply, hearing he actually had a complete stranger for a father was shocking.</p><p>"Sungmin hyung told me you were going to tell me... What will happen now?" the boy managed to ask not hiding how scared he was. "You’re really not my father?" he added looking intently at Daroll whose eyes were already back to the soft brown Younghyun knew so well. Before replying, Daroll carried Hyunhwa's body to put her on the bed. She seemed so in peace.</p><p>"I am your father because I raised you, but you do not have my blood,” Junghwa started. “And we were really going to tell you, everything had already been carefully planned out. If we live so openly at the same place for too long the humans start to notice we do not age. When you were to complete twenty-five we were going to tell you about us and leave to Nishinari, you were to remain here taking care of our local business. Someone was to bring you a notification about our death in a disaster, our ship to the islands would sink, so you could inherit Park Junghwa's fortune as his only heir." Daroll told him still carefully holding on to Hyunhwa's lifeless hand.</p><p>Younghyun pondered those words with sadness, he would have had only three more years of their company, his heart felt heavy as he made his next question. "And I would never see you again? Would you have taken my mother with you?"</p><p>Daroll smiled sadly. "No. We would die for the other humans, Younghyun, we were still going to be with you and your mother, but hidden as a secret." he explained and Younghyun couldn't deny the relieved feeling that crossed through him.</p><p>"If we just wanted to leave you behind why tell you the secret? No, Younghyun, I want to guard your life. You are my son," Daroll said then and looked at Elena and Jia, who still had not dared to leave the room, wanting to be there and give them whatever comfort they would need. "If there are more hunters out there we'll have more fights. Chungyeol won't let it be the way you've been hurt." he commented proceeding to check how the two humans were. It sparked Younghyun’s curiosity.</p><p>"Where is Chungyeol hyung?" he asked innocently.</p><p>Daroll smiled sadly as he replied pensively. "He is sleeping. It's different from vampire to vampire but we all need to sleep during the day from time to time. Chungyeol needs to sleep at least twice a month, Sungmin at least once every three weeks. We always made sure you wouldn't see them sleeping because that is our most vulnerable state, we failed only once." Daroll explained while tending to Jia that had been hurt more.</p><p>"Sungmin hyung was really dead." Younghyun countered as he kept his eyes on his mother, wishing she would open her eyes once again, even if they would be that deep red of a vampire, he remembered then the pain he felt that time when he found Sungmin looking that pale and unmoving, now it was almost unbearable.</p><p>"He was just sleeping exactly as I told you." Daroll retorted somehow sharing his son's feelings. It was supposed to feel good to once again not have secrets to the human that mattered to him. But the loss ruined everything. Younghyun fell asleep not long after for he was too exhausted physically and mentally.</p><p>Later Younghyun woke up in his own bed expecting everything to be just a very unpleasant dream. He had sneaked to his parents’ room and there the truth shouted on his face. A few servants were preparing his mother’s body to be buried. Seeing him Daroll guided him out to the dining room. His food had been served in silence, every servant he had crossed paths with had bowed respectfully but didn’t dare say anything. “Do they know? Everything?” Younghyun mumbled to his father while he played with his food.</p><p>Daroll shook his head. “They don’t. They only know what I want them to know, they believe in whatever I want them to believe. For them we had been attacked again but this time they had managed to hurt your mother, Elena and Jia.”</p><p>Younghyun swallowed the little food he had on his mouth before he dared to ask. "How many times did you do that with me? Forced me to believe your lies."</p><p>Daroll looked at him seriously as he replied. "Only when you saw Sungmin sleeping I thought about using it, but I didn't. You've always trusted me enough to never be a target of our powers. You didn't live a lie, Younghyun, when your mother came to me saying she was pregnant I told her you were not my child, but there was no way I could not receive her with you. The moment I took your mother under my roof you became my son. That won't change until you die." Younghyun had felt extremely happy hearing that but there was something other than the pain of losing his mother so brutally, another small aching feeling. Daroll was a vampire and Younghyun couldn't guess how old he actually was but sooner or later Younghyun would die just like his mother did, while his father would keep on living.</p><p>"Can’t we be together forever?" Younghyun asked knowing the underlying meaning of that, Daroll looked at him startled but their conversation was interrupted by a very angry Chungyeol barging in mumbling what Younghyun could guess were curses.</p><p>Upon seeing the two in the dining room Chungyeol’s bloody red eyes landed on Younghyun who gulped. "I am sorry I was not here, Younghyun. I swear to you I will personally kill the rest of them." He spoke in a menacing tone that was supposed to have terrified Younghyun, but he actually felt cherished. Those vampires were not monsters, how could monsters love him and his mother so much?</p><p>"Don’t be scared, Younghyun. Chungyeol hyung is pissed but he knows on whom to release his angriness upon." Sungmin suddenly spoke and Younghyun jumped on his seat looking at the door to the veranda where the vampire was looking outside.</p><p>"Sungmin hyung! Don't do that!" Younghyun reached for his heart as he glared at his still gloomy hyung. Not long after the red fox sneaked in. Younghyun still had some difficulty believing that was actually Mishra.</p><p>Younghyun stared at it as the animal curled against Sungmin’s legs. "Did you find them?" Daroll asked with a cold tone that was foreign to Younghyun. Mishra looked at her master from where she had laid down by Sungmin’s feet. For a moment Younghyun expected it to speak but the red fox just nodded. "Let’s go talk in my study room then. Sungmin, keep Younghyun company."</p><p>Daroll ordered and calmly stood up telling his son they would keep on talking later. Sungmin bowed to his sire before taking a seat opposite Younghyun. Only after Sungmin was sure his hyungs and Mishra were locked in the study did he break the silence. "You scared me, Younghyun," Sungmin said suddenly causing Younghyun to feel uncomfortable on his seat.</p><p>"How could I scare you?" Younghyun replied dismissively causing Sungmin to snort.</p><p>"You know what I am talking about, how you got that hunter to let you go. I felt scared you really meant what you were saying." Sungmin explained his point and Younghyun felt interested in a term the vampire had used.</p><p>"I figured if I faked to be on his side I wouldn't in dad's way. The best way to win is lead your opponent to think he already won," Younghyun replied with a small grin. "But, hyung, how was that ‘human’ able to fight with dad? Why you called him ‘hunter’? And those two that you fought with, why wouldn't I be able to fight them?" Younghyun then asked genuinely curious.</p><p>Sungmin thought there was no harm in telling him what he wanted to know since he was already aware of their true essence. "Younghyun, we call the human society as 'herd' and we have a law: 'the herd must not know'. Despite this we do have those humans we feel attached to and those that figured out by themselves we exist. They have taken upon themselves the task of killing whatever supernatural being they cross paths with. These two kinds of ‘human’ became half-vampires by drinking vampire blood, to differentiate them we call the first ‘Blood Doll’ and the second ‘Hunter’." the youngest vampire explained and Younghyun kept nodding now and then formulating more questions to ask, pleased with how Sungmin was being open.</p><p>"What is exactly the difference?" Younghyun asked then and Sungmin smiled slightly. "Well, a vampire can make a deal with a human, we offer our blood and all the power that goes along with it, in return the human becomes our slave with no will power whatsoever. Jia and Elena are Chungyeol's blood dolls…"</p><p>"Wait a moment! Elena noona practically orders Chungyeol hyung around!" Younghyun protested and Sungmin chuckled despite it being without much humor.</p><p>"That's because we, baby Hyun, are very different from other vampires, when Chungyeol made the deal with them the second order he gave them was to only obey if they agreed with his orders. That's why both Elena and Jia pretty much do whatever they please, but there's a certain tone hyung uses and the two do nothing but obey, because they trust that order to be based solely on Chungyeol’s wish for their wellbeing." Sungmin explained with a small shrug.</p><p>"What had been his first order then?" Younghyun asked with a small mischievous grin and Sungmin grinned along as he replied.</p><p>"Jia was to give a kiss on Daroll’s cheeks and Elena was to give Chungyeol hyung a kiss on the cheek as well. At least that’s what they told me." Both of them laughed at what was said despite the circumstances they were in, Sungmin still sneaked a glance to the stairs expecting something to come flying against him.</p><p>"But back to the lesson, hunters got our blood without permission, you saw how vulnerable I was while sleeping, when they find a sleeping vampire they find a blood supply. Your legends say that you have to stake us in the heart to kill us, that's not true, it just traps us in a forced slumber. The sun is also just half the legend, a newborn vampire will turn into ashes if in contact with the sun, but the older a vampire gets the less the sun will be a problem, we in particular are a kind of vampire that gets this resistance much sooner, there's another kind that doesn't matter how old he is he'll still burn and become ashes in the sun." Sungmin continued explaining and Younghyun also turned serious again, pondering what he had been told and wondering if he would be able to learn everything there is to know about them.</p><p>After a moment of contemplation Younghyun asked something that made Sungmin regret his decision of telling him all that. "Why didn’t mommy become a blood doll? That was what you tried to do right? Why was daddy against it? Why..." Younghyun stopped before he could finish. 'Are we not important enough for him to keep us forever?'</p><p>Sungmin smiled sadly. "That’s what I tried, yes, I don’t know why it failed… as for your father being against it you’ll have to ask that directly to him. There is a reason why, Younghyun, but I am in no position to tell you." the vampire replied and Younghyun felt tense. Why could it be?</p><p>He didn't have much time to think. There were sounds of windows breaking, Sungmin cursed loudly because he was so focused in the conversation he didn't smell the enemy approaching. Why those bastards were being so persistent?</p><p>There were once again sounds of battle and Sungmin didn't know what to do. Younghyun tried to run upstairs but Sungmin held him back. "Stop. There are seven enemies up stairs, I know Daroll hyung will be able to defeat them. There are others outside, if I go up they'll get you, if we go up you'll be in danger."</p><p>Younghyun cursed as well but then he put a hand on Sungmin’s shoulder and looked deep in his eyes. "I don't want to be this weak, if I had been able to protect myself they wouldn't have killed my mother. I know how to fight, hyung, make a deal with me."</p><p>Sungmin stared. Daroll would pretty much want to kill him later but that idea seemed to be the best option so without giving verbal reply first Sungmin tore the skin of his wrist with his fangs and offered his blood to Younghyun. The human didn't miss a beat before accepting the offer and drinking the blood. The hunters that had been spying on them barged in with hopes they could prevent the boy to become a blood doll, but they were too late. Younghyun already drank enough for that, at first he felt overwhelmed by the increase of smells in the air as well as his power and speed.</p><p>A hunter tried to attack Sungmin but both vampire and blood doll jumped away, while landing Younghyun stumbled on his feet and fell, Sungmin just jumped back in action pulling his twin blades and slashing. He never felt more thankful for having Bloedvuur; the energy he lost when Younghyun drank his blood was slowly coming back to him every time a blade tasted his enemies’ blood.</p><p>After his first slip Younghyun managed to get a hang of the situation and fight as well, for the first time he felt there was something more to his sword. He made a mental note to ask later, at that moment he just focused on the battle. The smell of blood was sickening but he forced himself to stand it. That morning Younghyun killed for the first time and killed three people while Sungmin finished the other five.</p><p>Upstairs Daroll became mad enough to use Aesur against his assailants not wasting his precious energy with the hunters. When Younghyun and Sungmin got upstairs there was nothing more for them to do, but at the sight of the ethereal scythe Younghyun lost count of how many times he felt scared in less than twenty-four hours. The moment Daroll’s eyes landed on Younghyun the oldest vampire growled. "Sungmin, you shouldn’t have!” Daroll scolded and Younghyun felt taken aback by the fact his father seemed to be so against the idea of him sharing something supernatural with them.</p><p>“Dal, we should just head to attack them directly.” Chungyeol interrupted the moment, because that was not the time to worry about Younghyun drinking vampire blood.</p><p>Daroll shook his head. “We don’t know how many they are, I know Aesur would be enough to get rid of all of them but I do not trust leaving Elena and Jia behind. They need protection.” The sire retorted and Chungyeol combed his hair with his fingers frustrated, nobody dared talk at that moment.</p><p>“Chungyeol, let’s move in with Prince Daehyun before we call too much attention to this place. We already have too many bodies in here and too much blood staining my floors. Our humans will be safer there and I only trust my progeny to protect them.” Daroll said then causing Chungyeol to hold his arm firmly.</p><p>“Chungyeol and Sungmin, I trust you to protect Elena, Jia and Younghyun. Mishra will take me to where the hunters are hiding. Inform Daehyun about the problem and he will send more vampires to help me out, if everything goes fine I’ll have all hunters dead before they make it there and this way we kill two birds with a stone.” Daroll continued removing Chungyeol’s hand from his arm. The younger vampire was ready to protest, it was too dangerous for him to go just with Mishra even if he had Aesur. Daroll had sensed that and added. “It’s an order.”</p><p>Chungyeol really hated when Daroll decided things alone, but he could do nothing against an order.</p><p>“I am going with you, dad.” Younghyun suddenly said with a tone that surprised even himself. "They killed my mother and they want me. I am not going to run and hide."</p><p>For a moment Daroll felt pride. "I don't want you to be part of this world, Younghyun." Daroll replied weakly, he had never really wanted to involve Chungyeol or Sungmin in his requiem but he couldn't deny he can't imagine himself alone anymore.</p><p>"For twenty-two years you've protected me and my mother, the only wish I’ve ever had was make you proud. For twenty-two years I lived calling you daddy when in reality I share no blood with you. Father, let me stay with you, I don't want to be protected, I want to protect as well." Younghyun spoke seriously with all the intention to convince the vampire.</p><p>Daroll shook his head but before he could retort Mishra spoke softly. "Younghyun, do you hate me?" her voice seemed frail, even though she was curled in herself for being naked her eyes were fixed in the young human.</p><p>Younghyun sustained her stare before replying curtly. "I don't." he sighed then before continuing. "There are things I still don't know, but regarding how my mother was killed... No, I don't blame you, if I did I would also be blaming Sungmin hyung and I am not, I didn't understand before, but you were trying to save her, you were trying something apparently forbidden to save her, I am thankful you tried and sad you failed. I do blame the one that calls himself my father and the hunters working for him, that's why I want to go."</p><p>Mishra nodded with a small smile. "Do you really want to be Daroll's son, Younghyun?" she asked then and Daroll ordered her to shut up, but she dared. "You had wished me dead, Daroll, but because of Sungmin you accepted to take me in. I know how much you love this kid, you lost his mother because from the start you couldn't keep her, but Younghyun is different, this human kid loves you and wants to devote himself to you. Chungyeol's devotion for the people of his feud, because of it you gave him the chance to save them. Sungmin’s devotion for his family, because of it you gave him the power to effectively protect them. Now Younghyun wants to devote himself to you, why not accept it? You shouldn't keep going by believing you're not worthy the love from others. You just want to love but you should accept others to love you. I wish I had someone to love me like Younghyun loves you. I can tell you all this because despite the years I lived among you, a Gangrel does not belong among Dragons."</p><p>"Mishra..." Sungmin mumbled but couldn't continue because Mishra kept on talking.</p><p>"I made my mind, Sungmin, I am leaving this coven, I’ll become a progenitor, like Daroll, I’ll gather around me the ones I deem worth of loving as my children, not as weapons. Until Younghyun is able to proudly stand under the sun I will protect him, I owe him that for helping killing his mother. Daroll, Younghyun wants to be your son, you want him to be your son, stop fighting it."</p><p>"Enough." Daroll shouted. "You are bound by a vow, Mishra, you are to obey me, you are to take me to the hunters, Chungyeol and Sungmin are to protect Younghyun, Elena and Jia. This is my ORDER."</p><p>Defeated Mishra nodded, morphed into a red fox and ran outside to guide her master. Daroll left after her without looking back. Younghyun growled stomping his foot on the floor but then he turned to his hyungs with a determined expression. "Can Elena and Jia fight?"</p><p>"Younghyun, we are to go to Daehyun's hideout. That's what your father ordered." Chungyeol replied sternly but clearly contradicted, Younghyun knew then what to do.</p><p>"He didn’t say we have to go there NOW. He had ordered you and Sungmin hyung to protect us, not that we should move in now. He also didn’t say we couldn’t follow him."</p><p>Chungyeol really liked when Younghyun was mischievous like that, Jia and Elena often knew how to walk around his orders, he himself had found a way to not obey when he didn’t agree. He thought for a moment and then nodded. “We all agree. Daroll is our top priority right now. He is too shaken for losing Hyunhwa,” He turned to his blood dolls then who were watching everything from the side lines. “Elena, Jia, I allow you to drink the emergency bottle. As soon as I can I’ll refill it. Let’s go show those hunters they are messing with the wrong coven,” He turned to Younghyun then. “And you, kid, shall not disappoint me while using that sword. This is your final test with the sword.”</p><p>Younghyun smirked in reply while Elena and Jia drank from two small red vials. Sungmin put a hand on Younghyun's shoulder. "Let's go then, the more we stand here the harder it will be to find Mishra's trail." Younghyun didn't really understand what he meant but the urgency was clear.</p><p>Without further ado Chungyeol and Sungmin ran out of the house, Elena and Jia followed suit but the male blood doll had the mind to hold Younghyun’s wrist and pull him along. The new blood doll felt slightly taken aback by the speed they were running but after a little while he felt comfortable and tugged his hand away from Jia’s grip. The older blood doll smiled at him and then continued to run.</p><p>Further ahead Chungyeol and Sungmin stopped hiding on a roof. The blood dolls hid a little further away trying to locate the enemy. Further ahead close to the forest was a small fortification that over all seemed inhabited.</p><p>Inside the fortress were around thirty hunters all armed and slightly restless, there was just one figure not matching the others. Youngho was shouting with the one Daroll believed was the leader of the hunters. "Two attacks and I still don't have my son! If you fail again I will deduct these fails from your payment."</p><p>"It’s not so easy! They are strong! If the boy is still with them he is probably on their side or being manipulated," the leader of the hunters retorted as angry. "If we were not to bring the boy back those bloodsuckers would be dead already!"</p><p>"Kangdae, I don't care-" Younghyun’s real father started to retort but a commotion to the left of them interrupted him. Daroll and Mishra had been spying on them but the vampire sire decided there was no need to keep hiding, therefore he called Aesur and with all pent up hatred for Hyunhwa's death he attacked the nearby hunters.</p><p>Youngho and Kangdae felt baffled at the sole vampire attacking them. "It’s the red fox again!" a random hunter shouted and the eyes fell on Mishra who was distracting the enemies from Daroll.</p><p>Kangdae called his men with a loud cry and prepared to fight while Youngho cowered in fear. Daroll had a stern expression, growling and hissing at the enemies, that man holding that shiny scythe had nothing of the noble he had visited some time ago. The fluid movements slow enough for a normal human to follow gave him the impression Daroll was not a vampire but Death itself. He was horrified after noticing there was no blood being shed with that scythe.</p><p>While the mass of hunters attacked Daroll, Mishra was easily jumping from side to side biting and dodging with grace. A loud siren was heard then and from a basement more hunters filled the fortress hall.</p><p>For a brief moment Youngho smirked because there would be no way Daroll and that animal would be able to win against so many enemies, but new battle cries were heard at the opposite side. The human felt taken aback at seeing the hunters divided, fighting other four males and a female vampire. He couldn't believe he was seeing Younghyun there, fighting those humans he knew were no match for anyone normal.</p><p>Youngho shouted in hatred but then fell in stunned silence as the shiny scythe was pointed right in front of him. His eyes locked with Daroll’s bloody red ones. "Your life as payment for Hyunhwa's," Daroll snarled.</p><p> Youngho still found in himself the petulance to reply. "Her life was worthless, the only good thing she did was give birth to Younghyun, but she just had to--” he was interrupted again by Younghyun holding the arm Daroll was holding on to the scythe.</p><p>“Let go, Younghyun, this scum will die today.” Daroll snarled and for a brief moment Youngho had the clarity to see Kangdae fighting with the red haired vampire while the other two were not allowing anyone to get close to Younghyun and Daroll, the red fox jumping in sync with the attacks of the only vampire to hold two swords.</p><p>“I won’t prevent you from killing him, but there’s one thing I need to tell him,” Younghyun said with a strange tone Youngho could not decipher. The young man turned to him, though and the old man heaved an internal sigh of relief at seeing his eyes were still in its normal color, but the words that followed made him freeze. “I wanted to kill you myself for you even thinking of killing my mother. You were delusional for thinking I would ever call you with the endearment I have all my life directed to Junghwa, he raised me, he cared for me and most importantly: he loved my mother. You wished to claim me for a futile wish, your wife will get every penny you have, and then your daughters will. I’m glad to know you’ll die to make all your fears come true.” Younghyun’s tone became lethal. Sungmin had told him exactly why all that was happening and he despised the reason that had led to his mother being killed.</p><p>“Dad… Don’t kill him with the scythe, he won’t feel a thing if you do so.” Younghyun said letting go of Daroll and taking a step back, his eyes never leaving Youngho, who watched in horror as Daroll’s lips curved into a smirk.</p><p>“He may not feel any pain, Younghyun, but his soul will be completely destroyed, he will become absolutely nothing.” After those words Youngho had felt a fraction of seconds long fear and then just like Daroll stated the scythe trespassed him and Aesur obliterated his soul.</p><p>Youngho’s body fell limp on the floor with minimal sounds. For a while the two kept looking at the body until Younghyun spoke with a small hopeful tone. “You are the only father I will ever have. Please, make me your son.” the tone Younghyun used was one of the few things that could melt Daroll’s frozen heart, but at that moment nothing was clear for the ancient vampire. He had raised Younghyun to be a fine human, to have a normal life in the most secure way he could afford, it had never been his intention for the child to really join in the coven, Daroll had always expected he would mourn after Younghyun’s death hopefully as a sage old man.</p><p>Daroll did not reply, he simply turned around and continued to fight with the remaining hunters, yet he did not use Aesur anymore, he ordered the Soul Blade to rest, made sure his cane was safely tied to his belt and continued fighting with his chained swords, taking pleasure in shedding as much blood as he could. Younghyun felt slightly taken aback at the sight of his father really fighting and not just training, but he concluded the vampire was just trying to scare him from being embraced.</p><p>He only noticed he had actually spaced out during a battle, when a cry too close to him for comfort startled him. He turned his attention to his left where Mishra was biting down at a hunter’s throat. She was protecting him. Chungyeol, Sungmin, Elena, Jia and Daroll, all of them had protected him all his life. From that moment onwards he would protect them back, no matter what. He would convince Daroll to turn him into a vampire so he could really become his son.</p><p>Kangdae proved to be an excellent fighter but after seeing so many of his men falling dead he let out a loud battle cry and desperately tried to bring at least one enemy down. He died without success.</p><p>“Elena, Jia,” Daroll called with urgency as the only ones standing were the vampires and their blood dolls. The two humans didn’t reply, they immediately started looking around until they spotted the torches illuminating the place. Jia helped Elena fire up two more torches, Jia reached for a third one and Elena shouted for Younghyun to go help them. The young human didn’t know what they were supposed to do with those until he saw his hyung and noona putting the dead bodies on fire.</p><p>Younghyun understood then, they had done that before, Daroll didn’t need to verbalize his orders for them to understand, but he had been lost. For a moment he felt he didn’t belong with them just like Mishra said she didn’t. He pushed those feeling aside though as he set on fire every piece of wood he could come close with.</p><p>“Younghyun, that’s enough!” Sungmin shouted from afar. He turned around to see Mishra, his hyungs and his father were as far as possible from the fire, Elena and Jia threw away their torches and ran to them, Younghyun did the same a few seconds later.</p><p>The coven left the once again abandoned fortress and watched as the fire consumed it. A few humans that lived nearby woke up because of it and tried to extinguish the fire, but they had not been the only ones attracted to the location, a few vampires had also come to check what had happened. Once they saw Daroll’s coven and smelled the faint scent of vampire vitae burning along with the clear distinct smell of human flesh burning they knew what had happened. The hunters Daehyun had been procrastinating to eliminate had fallen in Daroll’s hand, there had been gossips running his coven had been attacked, it was probably the truth.</p><p>Daroll sent the vampires a stare and then ran back to his hideout, he still had a body to bury. The rest of the coven followed without a word.</p><p>For the rest of the day Daroll did nothing but worry himself with Hyunhwa's burial. Words were sent to Prince Daehyun who sent help for them to safely bury her. Younghyun didn't press on the matter of becoming a vampire because seeing all that had made him overly emotional.</p><p>The coven carried on the perfect act of nobles who had suddenly lost someone precious to a robbery attack. That night Younghyun went to sleep overly worn out both physically and emotionally, yet at some time during the night he woke up to shouting. He sat up alarmed thinking it was another attack but then he remembered they had killed all hunters.</p><p>"Son of a bitch!" Chungyeol's curses continued but then Daroll shouted louder.</p><p>"Chungyeol, enough!" and silence ensued. Younghyun left his room as quick as possible to reach the library where he thought the vampires were reunited.</p><p>Without thinking much or actually trying to use his new acquired powers to sense who was inside the room, he simply opened the door in a haste asking what was wrong. But he froze at seeing four other vampires in the room other than his family members.</p><p>"A blood doll... You turned the boy into a blood doll too," a female vampire said in amusement.</p><p>"I never understood why you actually kept his mother as a human for all this time, she wouldn't have died at the attack then." one of the three males added causing Younghyun to glare at him.</p><p>"Don’t talk about things you don't know." Younghyun warned causing the strangers to snort, yet Daroll spoke before anyone else.</p><p>"What happens in my coven is not of your concern; you came to seek an alliance for something I do not wish to do. Daehyun is your problem, not mine."</p><p>"But you are the rightful Prince!" the female vampire angrily shot, Younghyun didn't understand what that meant, he didn't know yet what his father's coven had done in the past.</p><p>"If I had wished to be the prince do you really think Daehyun would be the ruler right now? I didn't want the honor back then and I do not wish for it now. I have my own rules at the territories I reside in, if you want to really follow me as a leader you shall obey those rules but fighting directly against the prince is something I won't do. This is my final statement." Daroll said pointing at the door and Younghyun quickly stepped aside to allow them to go out despite the fact that the vampires didn't move.</p><p>They kept staring at each other, the woman sending glances at Younghyun also, until she sighed and kneeled in one knee. "I swear loyalty to the rightful prince. If you ever decide on fighting for what is yours you shall use my weapons, my coven will fight for you."</p><p>Younghyun had still no clue how words could be lethal for a vampire but he could distinguish in there the heaviness of the matter. He stared at his father waiting for his reply therefore he didn't miss the discreet way he looked at Sungmin, if he had still been fully human he would have missed how Sungmin nodded ever so softly.</p><p>"I will remember your words, Hyeji. If I ever need you I’ll make sure to find you." Daroll spoke coldly and the female vampire bowed still kneeling.</p><p>"For anything my coven could be of use to you. My coven is also not the only one, Daroll, I am sure they will get to you before you leave."</p><p>"I will receive them but my words won't change," Daroll retorted walking to the balcony in a clear statement that conversation was over. Hyeji and her vampires took the cue and left without sparing another glance at Younghyun. Younghyun listened as the footsteps could not be heard anymore to ask what exactly had happened. Jia walked calmly to him and guided him to one of the couches.</p><p>"We were once again proven we shall not trust anyone out of our coven." Chungyeol replied bitterly but Younghyun didn’t understand why he was saying that.</p><p>“Didn’t Sungmin hyung say you could believe her?” he asked in all his innocence and everybody in the room looked at him surprised so he felt like he needed to explain himself. “I saw dad glancing at Sungmin and him nodding, did I get it wrong he was saying you could believe them?”</p><p>“Smart kid.” Chungyeol mumbled but Mishra explained the situation.</p><p>“You are right Younghyun. Each vampire has a special ability so to say, something they are really good at, Sungmin has a very astonishing sense of smell, recently he noticed he can distinguish a liar by the smell, we’re just roughly confirming it.”</p><p>Younghyun felt slightly taken aback, now he could understand why Sungmin had never been fooled by him before, yet he decided it was better not to comment on that so he kept his questions directed at Mishra. “As you can change into a red fox?” Chungyeol snorted and Mishra giggled.</p><p>“No, baby Hyun, Mishra’s ability of changing into animals comes from the kind of vampire she is, but that’s another lesson for another day.” The second oldest vampire answered.</p><p>“My special ability is manipulating animals, let’s say ordering them to do what I want them too. Thank me for that black horse never being bad to you. Daroll’s kids have special smell abilities so to say, while Sungmin can smell details in blood, he can’t smell very far, on the other end Chungyeol can’t smell the amount of details Sungmin can but he can smell further than many vampires.”</p><p>Younghyun nodded, but he hesitated to ask further, he really wanted to ask what ability he could have if he was to become a vampire but he decided to understand this Prince matter better. “That… hum… vampire lady… why did she call you a rightful prince, father?”</p><p>Daroll sighed, after a moment of contemplation he looked at his son, now Sungmin’s blood doll, and answered. “A few decades ago Chungyeol beheaded the Prince ruling this land, I had helped him to achieve that and since he is my progeny the Prince title should have been mine, but I made an agreement with Daehyun because I didn’t want the title so he became the prince. We tried to make the other vampires believe it had been him that killed the Prince but we couldn’t hide it, despite the fact I made it clear he was the one to receive the title, many vampires believe they should actually follow me.”</p><p>Silence fell in the room again. “You gave him the title? Vampires following you?” Younghyun was still confused.</p><p>Elena sat beside him wrapping him in a half hug with all the intention to explain. “A ‘Prince’ to the vampires is someone that rules other vampires, something like an emperor, someone they should obey and protect.”</p><p>Younghyun stared at her in disbelief, why would his father not want such an important title? If he had been the Prince all the vampires would have protected his mother… but his thoughts were interrupted when his father added to the conversation.</p><p>“They should, but they don’t as you clearly saw in here. Hyeji swore loyalty to someone that is not the Prince, and has been for years conspiring against Daehyun. I do not wish such a hassle, I do not wish empty promises to be given me.”</p><p>“But Daehyun is pushing his luck,” Chungyeol suddenly snarled again and Elena let go of Younghyun to go to her companion in an attempt to calm him down, in reply to her gesture, Chungyeol wrapped her in his arms.</p><p>“I agree with Chungyeol hyung, but I do agree with Daroll hyung also,” Sungmin voiced from the chair he had sat on. “If we try anything against Daehyun now we’ll get a title that won’t help us much.” He continued causing Jia and Younghyun to frown.</p><p>“What title? Sungmin, what are you talking about?” Jia asked but Daroll didn’t give the youngest vampire time to reply.</p><p>“We’ll leave back to Nishinari. It would do good for Younghyun to learn their language as well. Let’s give a final word for Daehyun.” Daroll said not minding to explain further, he didn’t really have to, from all that had been said in that room and the way Daroll himself was pissed, both Chungyeol and Sungmin knew what their sire had in mind even if just roughly. Together they all headed to Daehyun’s palace.</p><p>The three blood dolls entered the Prince’s hideout right behind the four vampires, Younghyun standing in the middle, Daroll didn’t bother following the common courtesy of asking to be announced to the Prince, Daehyun no longer deserved that. Right before Daroll opened the door Sungmin turned to Younghyun and gave him a serious set of orders. “Whatever is said in the room, don’t say anything, keep your cool and absolutely don’t let him see you are surprised with anything we say. You are to stand your ground arrogantly and obey only what your hyungs and your father are to say.” As if instantly Younghyun felt his whole body stiffen, he merely nodded though Sungmin knew Younghyun would do just as he had said. Daroll opened the door without further ado and the coven stepped in.</p><p>“What is this, Daroll? Why didn’t you announce yourself?!” Daehyun demanded standing from his chair, he had been discussing with other vampires about the matters he had to take care off as a Prince and he didn’t like to be mistreated like that.</p><p>Daroll stopped a step ahead than his progeny and Mishra as they stood two steps ahead than the blood dolls. The sire seemed to be very calm, yet had a strange aura around him. Daehyun could hardly believe his ears when Daroll finally spoke. “You owe me what you have now. Do I have to remind you, you are not the rightful prince? If I hadn’t allowed, you would have died many decades ago. If it was not for me, you would have never gotten to Adrian’s private room like that.”</p><p>Daehyun froze while the other vampire stood to defend the Prince. Younghyun felt a myriad of emotions at seeing that, for a moment he had felt like pulling out his sword and show those vampires that he would die first before they even tried to get to his father, but he did nothing of that, instead his body remained frozen on the spot, his expression serious but looking slightly uninterested in that matter, just as if he thought they were wasting time being there. Despite knowing so little about what was going on, Younghyun still tried to piece the information together. Indeed those words had a subtle meaning of betrayal, something akin to Daroll deciding to go back on their agreement.</p><p>“You gave up the title, you no longer have any right for it.” Daehyun retorted angrily but Daroll just smirked huffing. At that moment Younghyun noticed how both Chungyeol and Sungmin had their hands resting on the pommel of their swords, how Jia had his hands tucked into his coat’s pocket and how Elena was standing in her neutral position, the one she used whenever she was fighting with someone, while Mishra had her face turned to the window to her right as if completely not paying attention to the matter. He felt the urge to huff just like his father did because while the vampires on Daehyun’s side were all tensed up, their group was in complete ease as if nothing could go wrong with them. Younghyun’s eyes focused on Daroll once he spoke again.</p><p>“Do I have to remind you, Daehyun? Look closely, for over a millennium I fooled my sire to believe I was a good dog, but when Chungyeol was just fifty years old as a Kindred we killed him and exterminated my whole coven,” Daroll started with a slow mocking tone, Younghyun felt his heart constrict, how old exactly was his father? He felt thankful for Sungmin’s order then, if he had stood there with his ignorant self he would have interrupted his father’s speech to ask questions. All he could do was stand there as if those words didn’t matter even if he craved to learn more. "The reason why you so proudly call yourself Prince is because Chungyeol didn’t take it well when Adrian tried to steal Elena from him, even less did I. The plan to Kill Adrian came from Chungyeol and it only happened because I led the act. You know plenty well how lethal both Chungyeol and I can be, but do you know this kid?” Daroll stopped shortly to indicate Sungmin and all eyes fell on the vampire “He was just thirty years old as a Kindred when he beheaded alone a Prince, his plan, his action, I only gave him my support, both my kids beheaded a Prince they despised, what to do? If you don’t guard yourself Younghyun will be the next beheading you.”</p><p>For a moment Younghyun felt lost, why was his father talking like that so easily, so far he had nothing big against that vampire to wish to behead him or whatever, but there was something more in there, something that had been said before and at that moment Younghyun couldn’t link. Daehyun glared but then laughed. “A blood doll is no match for me.” Daehyun snarled arrogantly “You are no match for me, Daroll!”</p><p>Younghyun felt offended at the first statement though it was indeed true, but he really hated the second line, no-one could be better than his father. Once again he felt the urge to pull out his sword and attack that bastard just to prove his father’s words right, but he merely rested his hand at the pommel of his own sword. On the other hand Daroll just smirked. “You are no match for me, I can kill you with my eyes closed,” He mocked in a very matter-of-factly tone. “Don’t underestimate my son, Daehyun, he may be a human but all his life he had trained with kindreds and don’t think I don’t know, Daehyun. You knew about the hunters targeting us, you knew they had all the intentions to kill Hyunhwa and take Younghyun away, you knew and did nothing, hoping I would die, hoping my kids would die. But what to do?” Daroll continued and Younghyun felt himself wanting nothing more but to demand an explanation. If that vampire had some sort of alliance with his father, that was a very low thing to do. Yet he kept still by the order his hyung gave, Younghyun just narrowed his eyes in warning to whoever would pay attention to him, since he was half hidden behind Daroll.</p><p>“All the kindreds unsatisfied with you are more than willing to follow the ‘rightful prince’ that had exterminated the hunters causing them problems. What to do, Daehyun? Back then when you became the prince you asked if I would help guard you and I told you clearly I did not want to. After coming back I played my part of humble kindred serving a Prince, but this time you pushed your luck too much. I am leaving this territory to a calmer place, so these are my final words to you: Do not ask me any more favors, Prince of the Socheon, because the next time we see each other either Younghyun or myself will make sure your head won’t be connected to your body anymore.” Younghyun smirked maliciously at his father’s words, he didn’t need much more explanations about his mother’s death circumstances, he would gladly help his father behead that Prince, the third on the coven list. Now he understood the link he had felt before, that was the title their coven would gain if Daehyun did die in their hands, something to the likes of Prince Exterminators. That felt tempting, he couldn’t deny.</p><p>The moment Daroll ended his speech the vampires with Daehyun hissed and prepared to jump against Daroll, but the prince ordered them to stop. “You’ll regret those words, Daroll. You will.” Said kindred only huffed again before turning around and leaving by passing the blood dolls between Younghyun and Elena, the boy stepping aside to give him enough space but not moving much afterwards, Sungmin and Chungyeol followed suit not even sparing Daehyun another glance, Jia and Elena followed in the same fancy but Younghyun allowed himself to glare at Daehyun before leaving as well, Mishra following him as if a private bodyguard.</p><p>After the door was closed behind them Daehyun cursed inwardly for being so scared of Daroll. But he had his reasons, he knew Daroll was not a pure Dragon and that the antediluvians seem to have a strong liking for him, as he had said his progeny had each killed a Prince and both actions were overlooked or approved by the Elders. He knew it was dangerous to do nothing and hope the hunters to be able to weaken him, Daroll had never sworn loyalty to him, and more importantly he had mastered the ability to lie to such an extent even vows against his will had no effect. Daroll was only truly loyal to himself, for Daehyun that was reason enough not to confront with weapons that coven.</p><p>Little did he know that, by allowing Daroll to leave just like that after being affronted to such extent, it had weakened even more his positions as Prince. The kindreds that had been with him didn’t approve of such a weak decision. If he had few loyal servants before that encounter, after it he had even fewer. While Adrian had been profusely hated, Daehyun was not feared, and that was way worse.</p><p>For two days the coven worked hard to prepare their leave, Younghyun though expected something that didn’t take place. He had hoped his father and his hyungs would tell him more, would teach him more about their past but none of that happened, they even cancelled their training sessions which made Younghyun apprehensive.</p><p>He had a feeling something was extremely not right but he couldn’t exactly talk about it with any of them. His fear got confirmed at the third day after his mother’s burial, Younghyun woke up in a completely empty house.</p><p>He had already woken up with a start when he felt the sun hitting his face. That only happened if he had slept in for far too long. Younghyun got dressed as fast as he could before he searched for his family, but there was no-one in the kitchen, no food served to him as breakfast. He called for his father, for his hyungs and noonas but got no reply. He called for the servants but there was really nobody there.</p><p>Younghyun’s heart constricted as for the first time he considered the fact that the ones he had known as his family had actually left him behind for good. Despite the emptiness in the house he still went to his father’s room in search of any clue that contradicted what was so plain to see, but with dismay he saw all of Daroll’s personal belongings had vanished and in the same fashion the other rooms were void of any trace of their previous inhabitants. Younghyun even went to Jia’s studio and the study his father used for business. While the first was also empty in the second Younghyun found up the mahogany table a folder left neatly upon it.</p><p>With a heavy heart Younghyun rushed to grab it, his heart almost stopped when he recognized a few of the ownership documents of some of his father’s business, all of them now with his name as owner. Uninvited tears brimmed in Younghyun’s eyes when the meaning of those papers hit him. Cho Younghyun, the only son of Cho Hyunhwa and Park Junghwa inherited his father’s fortune. With just that Younghyun would have the same noble life he had been having, but he would be alone.</p><p>Frustrated, he closed the folder and slammed it on the table, with all he had he tried to will his tears away. His father was indeed a master of lies, and Younghyun believed in all the act they played in front of the Vampire Prince, he believed in the subtle promise of being embraced, he believed he would live forever with them.</p><p>Younghyun took a deep breath to force himself to calm down and that was when it hit him. The sweet smell characteristic of a vampire was still in the air. For a normal human it was certainly impossible to just head out and try to find his family, but Younghyun was no longer a normal human, he had no clue how to trace them but he was sure he would be able to. With a sudden resolution Younghyun took the folder and headed upstairs to his parents room.</p><p>He took a few deep breaths trying to imprint in his head that that was his father’s smell, with renewed hope he headed to the next bedroom that belonged to Sungmin. With a wide smile he took a few more deep breaths but his confident smile vanished. To him there was no difference between the smells, there was just the strong sweet scent but he couldn’t figure out how to differentiate the two. With an erratic beating heart Younghyun rushed to Mishra’s room but as well as the other two he could just know a vampire had stayed in that room.</p><p>Clenching his fist over the folder in his hand Younghyun ran to Chungyeol’s room and there a smile came back to him, he couldn’t distinguish Chungyeol’s smell from the other’s but he could with Elena’s. Younghyun closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Chungyeol had ordered that cologne especially for Elena, the chance of another woman having that same perfume was minimum but even if he would stumble with it he would be able to tell the two smells apart because Elena’s was surely sweeter.</p><p>Keeping that smell in check Younghyun ran back to his room taking from up his dresser a cape and his sword, afterwards he left the house not even bothering to lock it up behind him or taking a horse for the travel, his family could be already too far for him to lose time with a horse speed.</p><p>Cautiously not to be considered suspicious Younghyun ran around the city trying to follow Elena’s perfume. With each step Younghyun felt even more restless because it was clear to him then that his family had gone to the port. What if they were already inside a ship in deep waters? He wouldn’t be able to follow them if that was the case. As his mind kept coming up with dreadful thoughts Younghyun tried to force a positive thought up. He was going to reach them in time, and when he did, he would demand from his father a reason why they were so sneakily leaving him behind like that.</p><p>That thought made him feel even more depressed though, because what was the value of what he was doing? What was the point of so desperately run after the ones that so openly left him behind? What would change if he were to still get to them in time? Wasn’t it clear those vampires didn’t want him in their requiem?</p><p>‘If they don’t want me, then they better say that to my face. Leaving without even saying goodbye… if I am not worthy enough to stay with them I want them to say it to my face. Only then I will accept.’</p><p>Younghyun attached himself to that thought as he turned left on the next street and the port filled his horizon. There were too many smells over there and Elena’s perfume became harder to locate, the strong salty smell from the ocean turning all the other smells hard to distinguish.</p><p>Frantically Younghyun tried to find any familiar face as he passed by people while trying to open his way. Someone shouted from up a ship for the passengers that were not inside to get in because they were ready to depart. He looked in the direction of the man and then at the bridge leading to the ship. His heart almost stopped with joy.</p><p>Daroll was standing close to the bridge, apparently searching someone in the crowd. His expression was one of worry but when his gaze locked with Younghyun’s it changed to one of relief. “Younghyun!” he shouted and made a hand sign for his son to hurry. For a second time that day Younghyun felt like crying and without thinking much he rushed in the direction of his father.</p><p>As he approached he could faintly hear Daroll talking to a man beside him, giving orders for the house to be sold and the servants to be sent later to where he would settle, that as soon as they had found a new place to stay he would send a letter giving instruction of what was to be done.</p><p>When Younghyun finally stopped beside his father, the old man Daroll was talking to smiled down at him. “Have a safe trip, young master, you must be tired after running all the way back home to get the documents your father forgot. Such filial kids like you are hard to find.” He complimented patting his shoulder and by passing him right after. Younghyun felt confused with those words but when Daroll put a hand on his shoulder he snapped over his father.</p><p>“Why am I not good enough? Why were you leaving me behind like that?!” he pushed the folder against his father’s chest then. “I don’t want any of this! I just want to be with you! Why can’t I be your son?!”</p><p>Daroll took hold of the folder and then pulled Younghyun into a one-arm hug. “A requiem is a curse. You have to always know what you want otherwise you become someone else’s pawn. If you get lost you have to know how to find your way back. I am sorry, Younghyun. I had to test you,” The vampire replied with a tone full of pride. “We have to get in otherwise the ship will leave without us.” He urged then and just slightly contradicted Younghyun followed.</p><p>“Don’t you think this test was a tad bit too unfair?!” Younghyun demanded once they were inside the ship. “What if I had failed?” he started, stopping on his tracks and just watching as Daroll took two steps ahead before turning back to face him. “Would I really be left behind alone?”</p><p>“You would. If you had failed we would have left you to live your human life throughout.” Daroll replied seriously before he resumed his walk through the ship in the direction of the cabins he had booked for his coven.</p><p>Younghyun felt his heart beating painfully in his chest, his throat felt dry and he could no longer reply to that vampire walking in front of him. Not long after they reached a cabin and before Daroll could actually open the door Mishra stormed out of the room jumping on Younghyun and letting out a happy shriek. “You finally made it!” she cheered letting go of him for a split second to move behind him and hug him from there, her arms around his waist.</p><p>He had wanted to ask why she did that but Elena jumped him a few seconds after Mishra rested her cheek against his back. “Hyun baby, congratulations! You passed the test!” she cheered before she let go of the startled boy to mess up his hair. “I am so proud of you!”</p><p>“Let’s get in. We are attracting too much attention.” Daroll halfheartedly scolded. Elena went back inside the room without another word pulling Younghyun by the hands while Mishra moved along firmly holding on to the boy’s coat.</p><p>Inside the spacious room Chungyeol was sitting in a typical captain chair while Sungmin and Jia were sitting on what Younghyun could only think of as some sort of bed. Sungmin stood up making space for Younghyun to sit down, Mishra still sneaked behind the boy and kept hugging him from behind. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Noticing that, Elena had to point it out. “Yah, Mishra, let go of him. Can’t you see he is not appreciating you being all over him?”</p><p>The gangrel paid her no attention and even snuggled closer.</p><p>Before Elena could end up saying something hurtful to the gangrel, Daroll decided to speak. “Younghyun passed the test so when I deem it a good time I will embrace him.” Those words caused the human boy to forget whatever discomfort Mishra was making him feel.</p><p>“Thank you.” Younghyun mumbled as that time he didn’t make any effort in stopping his tears, those meant how thankful and happy he was to be accepted as a full member of that coven.</p><p>“Younghyun, I think you need a bath. You are all sweaty.” Mishra mumbled causing the others in the room to chuckle, Sungmin actually laughed.</p><p>“It couldn’t be helped, I did run all the way from home, it was quite a distance from here if you never paid attention,” Younghyun chuckled along but then he frowned. “But I don’t have any changes on me, the only things I took were the documents, my coat and sword.” He mumbled then slightly dejected.</p><p>“The poor thing. Jia might have something for you to wear.” Mishra patted his hair affectionately with a caring smile, somehow when Younghyun looked at her he felt uneasy. Mishra had been someone he always had close by, the only one after his father he saw every day, but suddenly he felt like he had never been close enough to her to notice how strangely sad her green eyes were.</p><p>“Younghyun, this is your cabin, you’ll share it with Jia, Sungmin and Mishra’s is to your left, mine is to your right and Chungyeol and Elena’s is to the right of mine. I think you could take your time now to rest a bit and clean up as well.” Daroll said beckoning the rest of the coven to leave. “We will talk later and I will tell you whatever you want to know, just remember we’ll have enough time in the future to learn about the past slowly.”</p><p>The human kid nodded and only then did Mishra let go of him to follow Sungmin out of the room. The petit vampire gave Younghyun a warm smile as he stood up, but said nothing. Elena gave Younghyun another hug while Chungyeol messed his hair, once they were out of the room Daroll left closing the door behind him.</p><p>“You can clean up with this water, just remember we won’t have much water for that while in the ship.” Jia said pointing at a corner of the cabin. Younghyun nodded and stood up to go clean himself up from the sweat. Jia went to another corner of the room and started fumbling with clothes, only when the tall Blood Doll passed to the younger one of his favorite sets of clothes, Younghyun noticed that he was still wearing the clothes he wore the day before and in which he had slept that night.</p><p>“You had my clothes in here?” the younger asked surprised and Jia had to grin evilly.</p><p>“Silly, you didn’t even check your wardrobe, we were right about you panicking to the point of not looking for a fresh change of clothes, we packed all your stuff. We were all waiting for you, Younghyun.” The older Blood Doll confessed and Younghyun felt his eyes burning with new tears.</p><p>Without any restrain Younghyun pulled Jia into a hug. “I was so scared, so heartbroken. Even now whenever I think there had been a possibility of being alone it makes me so angry at myself for I had doubted your love and trust in me.”</p><p>Jia hugged the boy back smiling slightly sadly. “You wouldn’t really be left alone…” He mumbled then and it caused Younghyun to look at him curiously and worriedly. “When Daroll told us he would test you like that, Mishra was really angry, she said that it was unfair with you because you were a blood doll for three days only, that you had no clue how to track a smell, even less distinguish between our smells and some other vampire smell. Daroll said he needed to know how you could deal with a situation completely against you and the last thing Mishra said was that you loved us too much to give up without a fight, that you would find your way, but if it happened you couldn’t make it in time to catch the ship she would leave the coven for good and remain beside you forever.”</p><p>As the words sank in Younghyun suddenly let go of Jia, completely taken aback. The way Jia stated that, Younghyun was certain he understood it right. “She… she threatened my father with the possibility of changing me?”</p><p>The older blood doll didn’t have the time to reply because at that moment the door was pushed open and Mishra got in holding on to a basket full of food. “I did,” She said with a sad smile. Younghyun turned to her startled, hiding behind Jia because he was still half naked, Mishra chuckled without much humor. “I had helped bathe you when you were a kid, Younghyun, you have nothing I haven’t seen already.”</p><p>“I am not a baby anymore.” The human countered watching as Mishra put up the table the food.</p><p>“If we compare our ages you are a baby still,” She retorted. “If you had failed, Younghyun, I would have gone back to you, I would offer to you a requiem even though I knew you wouldn’t want a mother, but a father. Still even if you would chose to remain human I would be there to protect you and help you find them again.” Mishra continued and Younghyun noticed Jia had gone tense.</p><p>“Why would you do such a thing, noona?” Younghyun asked as he quickly pulled a clean shirt on.</p><p>“I had vowed loyalty to your father, Younghyun. And to me a way to keep the loyalty would be protecting his children, you are the one that needs it the most to be protected. I failed in keeping your mother safe, we all did. Even though we were all against Daroll leaving you behind I would be the only one able to go back, Sungmin and Chungyeol would never leave their sire, Jia and Elena would never leave Chungyeol. But a pet can leave one owner to find another.” Mishra replied and Jia scoffed, startling Younghyun.</p><p>“We never thought of you as pet, Mishra. Stop victimizing yourself. Daroll hyung once said he was happy to see you had managed to blend with us, never once he regretted the choice of taking you in. You are being ungrateful with your words and you know you are hurting Sungmin the most.” Jia contradicted getting slightly angry.</p><p>“Stop!” Younghyun raised his voice and stepped between the two. “What exactly is all this? What is it that you are talking about? Why would noona be different than the rest? What happened?” Younghyun demanded, not liking the way his family still seemed to be shattering after his mother had died. “Noona, why did you say you were going to leave after I am able to stand proudly under the sun? What did you mean?” the boy asked and he was not sure how to take what the gangrel said next.</p><p>“There are five major vampire clans, Younghyun, two of them are the Dragons and the Gangrels, Daroll and your hyungs are Dragons, vampires that managed to surpass our most dangerous weakness in a way no other vampire can. I am a Gangrel, a vampire that can shape-shift into different kinds of animals. When Sungmin was a newborn my original coven was eliminated by a pack of werewolves and I became a lone gangrel. My clan is the most despised between the vampire clans because we live in the wild, not between humans, and we are known for not swearing loyalty to just anyone, therefore they say a lone gangrel shall not be. Sungmin had been too young a vampire to accept me being killed because of that reasoning, so to safeguard him Daroll accepted me in, but I do not have the abilities of a Dragon to really fit in, because of the humans it was slightly easier, but I am still a lone gangrel, and despite loving Sungmin and you the most in this coven, I still want to go back to the wild, I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want a coven of my own.”</p><p>Younghyun felt strangely sad hearing that, but Jia was no-where close to that emotion. “If you do as you say, Mishra, you’ll just confirm what every vampire says about gangrels, that they know no loyalty, you’re just making excuses. Let me remind you that you know too many of our secrets, you can’t just leave us. If you break the vow you made to Daroll you’ll die. That’s what you had agreed upon.” The oldest blood doll said with an acid tone, but Mishra just smiled sadly.</p><p>“Hyung… Don’t say such a thing!” Younghyun suddenly protested facing the taller male as if protecting the vampire behind him. “I know many of your secrets and you were not planning to kill me but to leave me behind! You had taught me to be loyal, to be protective over my family and Mishra is part of it. I don’t care about clans or races or whatever. You can’t hurt Mishra when she has done so much for us! She has done so much for me!”</p><p>The effect Younghyun wanted with his words didn’t have the desired result because other than Jia agreeing with him he just snarled again. “You are really manipulative, Mishra. You used Sungmin to have your way in and now you are using Younghyun for your way out,” The blood doll clapped as he continued speaking. “Too bad you can’t control who is older than you, right?”</p><p>“Hyung!” Younghyun had started to protest again but Jia just pulled Mishra out of the room forcefully, well kind of since if Mishra really wanted to the blood doll wouldn’t have been able to.</p><p>After Jia closed the door Younghyun whined again. Jia sighed. “Listen up, Younghyun, until Daroll hyung says what is to be done with Mishra we will not speculate, also do not talk with her alone, it’s not safe.”</p><p>Younghyun still wanted to protest but the expression on the other’s face said it would be a lost cause, therefore the young man walked to the basket to see what Mishra had brought them to eat. Seeing a few of his favorite fruits in it he decided to eat them in silence. Jia didn’t speak while the younger was eating, but the sorry expression he sent Younghyun’s way when the boy said he would go talk to his father made Younghyun smile ever so softly.</p><p>Since the whole situation bugged him a lot it was the first thing he questioned Daroll with after closing the cabin’s door behind him. “That was expected to come after the argument earlier.”</p><p>Younghyun widened his eyes at his father. “You heard everything?” he questioned dumbly.</p><p>Daroll patted the space near him on his bed with a sincere smile. “My hearing is more accurate than many and you talked rather loudly.” The sire replied.</p><p>Younghyun had to smile sheepishly in reply. “Sorry.”</p><p>Daroll messed up his son’s hair with fondness. “Let’s start on how Mishra ended up joining us.” Daroll started and for a few hours they kept conversing about the matter, how Sungmin stumbled with her, about the werewolves and how they used a fake companionship between her and Sungmin to save the gangrel’s life. Younghyun kept asking whenever Daroll said something too connected with the vampire terms but overall understood what he had to about the case, especially why Jia had accused Mishra of using both him and Sungmin as safeguard from death. Even if it really seemed to be the case he couldn’t see Mishra as a traitor of any sort.</p><p>“What are you going to do with her? Are you really going to… kill…her?” Younghyun asked with uncertainty, he wouldn’t want his father to think like Jia, because he was sure Mishra was not intentionally controlling or manipulating him.</p><p>“Once I had wished to kill her, but after these years she lived as a member of my coven she never gave me any reason to doubt. And I came to understand one point about gangrels. It’s not true they know no loyalty, they are actually overly loyal to their beliefs. Because they knew once the werewolves were to attack they wouldn’t stand a chance and the secret could be in danger if they were to lose that battle, they had agreed to work together. Because they were loyal to that pact, Mishra had gone to the last of her strength to deliver the news and give us a handicap, she became the personification of those gangrels’ loyalty but none of us had wanted to see that. Mishra swore loyalty to me then because Sungmin had understood her, now I too understand her. She believes she doesn’t fit, but I disagree. We have our differences but she is welcome to stay. If by the year you’re able to walk under the sun again she still wishes to go back to the wild I will allow her to. I do not trust any kindred out of my coven, Younghyun. Mishra will be the first exception.” The vampire opened up, assuring Younghyun that Mishra was not in danger of dying in their hands.</p><p>Younghyun smiled warmly then, thankful and relieved. Seeing that, Daroll caressed his face. “You have your mother’s heart, Younghyun. But I think I let you in Sungmin’s company a bit too much.” He joked then before urging his son to go back to his cabin to sleep.</p><p>Back at the other cabin Jia greeted him with a bed ready for him to sleep at, while at the opposite side there was another bed for the taller blood doll. "Good night, hyung." Younghyun called, after the two of them were comfortably tucked in. Jia hummed before wishing Younghyun good night.</p><p>The next two days were spent in quite the boring way. If not for the long hours conversing with Daroll about past events and learning what the coven had to go through, Younghyun would have thrown himself in the ocean before he died of boredom. On the third day though Daroll had called Chungyeol to his cabin and it meant long hours of discussion between the two, Jia had transformed their cabin into some kind of improvised studio and he was there with Elena working on his creations. Younghyun was not that interested in the process of making clothes so he decided to hang out at Sungmin's cabin, it was a perfect excuse to ask Mishra to tell him more about gangrels.</p><p>Younghyun happily opened the door while announcing himself but he had to cover his eyes and stumble backwards into the door because Sungmin was half naked on top of an equally half naked Mishra. "Can't you two do those kind of things at night while I am asleep? At least now I know you are really not related otherwise I would have cussed on you two as well."</p><p>In reply to his whine Mishra had to chuckle and Sungmin just sighed pulling his shirt back on. "It’s safe to look." Mishra announced but Younghyun growled at seeing her still half naked.</p><p>"Noona!" the human kid whined again. But Mishra tsked shaking her head at the boy, she got redressed though.</p><p>"And you still want me to not call you a baby, by any chance are you only interested in males?"</p><p>Younghyun blushed profusely and stuttered a non-understandable reply that made the two vampires laugh. "Noona! No girl had interested me yet but it doesn't mean I am interested in boys!" Younghyun managed to reply.</p><p>"Of course, of course!" Sungmin chuckled beckoning Younghyun closer to sit on the bed with them but the boy firmly stated the chair was a safer place for him to sit at. Sungmin had to smile evilly at the younger's action. "So what brings the baby to our humble love nest?" Sungmin asked and Younghyun groaned.</p><p>"You probably know dad is talking with Chungyeol hyung and I am not interested in the process of making clothes." Younghyun answered with a shrug. "Dad had been explaining me about the Dragons... Can you tell me more about Gangrels, noona?"</p><p>Younghyun felt glad to see her smile becoming that tad bit brighter. "What do you want to know more?" she questioned then resting her head in Sungmin’s lap as she laid down, the male vampire caressing her hair softly without saying anything.</p><p>"Is... Is it ok to talk about... Your original coven?" Younghyun asked hesitantly and for a moment he felt worried as her smile faltered.</p><p>“We were a group of twelve, nine females and four males, my sire was a male and we were very united, almost like Daroll and his kids, just that we used to kill our preys.” Mishra replied matter-of-factly but her tone was slightly playful. “Next?”</p><p>Younghyun made a face because that had sounded too evasive. “Do you remember your human life? How did you become a vampire?” Younghyun tried then curiously eyeing how Sungmin seemed to be interested in that piece of information as well. On the other hand Mishra sighed. “Yes I remember, more than I actually wanted to. My father was a hunter, not in the vampire sense. I was his oldest daughter and had three other sisters. No boys in the family so it had turned my father quite sour. I had always had a strong liking to the wild, I’ve always felt like the forest was calling me so I pretty much dreamt with becoming a hunter just like my father. But a woman’s job is to give birth, make food and clean the house. I hated that life.” Mishra snorted at the last part of her words.</p><p>“At one time my father didn't come back home and we all got worried he had died. Going against my mother's order I took some of my father's weaponry and went after him. I had never let anyone know how I had secretly been training myself to be a hunter, so I believed I knew what to do. But while searching for him I met the most beautiful red fox I had ever seen so I thought about hunting it down and prove my hunter ability. If I were to find dad he would have to praise me and allow me into the group. Little did I know that red fox was actually a vampire, because I was indeed a good hunter it took me further into the forest and nearby a lake it morphed into a 'human'. He enchanted me and claimed by body. I was sixteen back then." Mishra started to tell tale, her eyes were closed and she cuddled closer next to Sungmin. Younghyun felt disgusted at hearing someone had forced Mishra like that.</p><p>"I thought I had fallen in love with that being, but he sent me back home with the biggest rabbit I had ever seen. Dad had been back home and had been preparing to go search for me. He completely ignored the rabbit and just beat me up for disobeying. He shouted I was a woman and could never do what men were supposed to. Afraid I would embarrass him further with my will, he married me off to another hunter, but that man sent me back home because I was not a virgin. I got spanked again and called a whore because nobody believed me when I said a spirit from the forest had possessed me. They sent me as an ‘offering’ to the supposedly spirit, when in truth they had just sentenced me to death. But they still mocked me, giving me a knife, arrows and a bow. ‘A means of surviving if the spirit didn’t want me anymore’.” Mishra snorted rolling on her side and looking up at Sungmin and then past him at the ceiling. The silence hung for a moment before Younghyun cleared his throat and asked with a small voice for what happened next.</p><p>“I spent a few years hunting for myself, having a hard time to cook my meals but I survived. I wanted to prove all those small-minded people from my village I was better than any of them. Through the years I learned the red fox I thought was a spirit was actually a vampire, more often than not he kept on visiting me and getting me on all fours for him. I didn’t mind because he valued what I was, he taught me how to be a better hunter and then offered me a requiem. I took it without a second thought. I never regretted becoming a vampire and forsaking what I was as a human, but there’s one particular night I remember clearly still.” Mishra mused, smirking as she closed her eyes and relieved that particular moment.</p><p>“I don’t really remember if it was a prince or a noble that decided to go hunt foxes near our village, my father and the one I had been married to were with the group assisting the noble. It was night and they were lost inside the forest so I decided to tease them. I sneaked in their camp and got the guys to follow after me, my father being one of those that had ran along, when I reached a clearing I morphed back into a human from my red fox form and all of them gaped at me. My father recognized me. ‘You sent me as an offering, he took me in. Thank you father for freeing me from being a mere human’ I loved the terror in his eyes as I jumped the noble and fed, when he fell dead at my feet I smiled at the others and said ‘now I also hunt humans’ and they all ran away scared shitless, but they became food for the rest of my coven, my father included.” Mishra looked at Younghyun then. “We are not the same, Hyun baby. I am nowhere close to filial.”</p><p>Younghyun gulped and prayed Mishra was just teasing him with that last part, but the glint in her eyes made the story all the more true. The boy felt uncomfortable with her stare so he averted his eyes to the floor and tried to change the topic even if slightly. “Hum… and how were you able to morph? Did you gain the ability just because you were a vampire?” he tried and Mishra chuckled.</p><p>“As a Dragon can’t just instantly walk under the sun, Gangrels can’t instantly change into animals, my first shift was into a red fox though, as it was my first meal. My sire had instructed me then, to drink to the last drop of blood and say a few strange words when I felt some kind of strange energy in the air around me. Apparently that allowed me to learn what the essence of a red fox was like and therefore I would be able to morph, but it was painful in the beginning, my body had been in constant ache and I was always overly thirsty. Even now if I was to do that with an animal I do not own the essence of, I would feel the pain for a few years whenever I would morph into it. I can change into a red fox, a red wolf and a brown red-ish dog. If you are curious.” Mishra explained and Younghyun felt slightly glad it didn’t include killing humans, but the moment that fact crossed his mind he ended up blurting out the question.</p><p>“Would that work if you were to get the essence of a human?”</p><p>Silence ensued and Mishra became contemplative. “I’ve never tried that. What would happen if I did steal the essence of a human?” the vampire sat up with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.</p><p>But the question got answered anyway. “You would just kill the human. That ability is not part of your bloodline, Mishra. But Undassars can, though the essence is not stolen by drinking blood but by stealing a human’s shadow.” Daroll spoke with a monotone intonation, as if he was teaching them something about history.</p><p>“I’ve always thought Undassars were pretty useless vampires, too weak against the sun, but they do have those interesting abilities, I see. What happens then? They can morph into the person they stole the shadow from?” Sungmin questioned sounding very interested with that explanation.</p><p>“Exactly. With the human dead because they lost their shadow an Undassar can take the human’s place. Well could if they were not so easily affected by the sun, but being able to freely change appearances is still good to lose trackers.” Daroll replied and the four of them continued conversing about the pros and cons of each vampire clan. Younghyun didn’t appreciate that much the fact that Mishra had gone too silent, and almost said nothing to add on the conversation. He didn’t want her acting so distant.</p><p>Settling at Nishinari was easy as always, the good relationship Daroll had with a few princes guaranteed a safe stay. Nevertheless the coven kept on travelling for two years with Younghyun as Sungmin’s blood doll in order to find the best place for the boy to live his first few years into a requiem.</p><p>The land chosen was at the south of the country near a very beautiful group of mountains. The humans were very sociable there and for the first time Daroll’s coven didn’t go for the noble attitude. They tried to blend more with the commoners and lead a simpler life. All of them had taken a strong liking for the place, especially during the winter.</p><p>It was in that season, when the hours of sun were fewer, that Daroll decided to embrace Younghyun and finally accept the boy’s loyalty as part of his progeny. His adapting had been much faster than Chungyeol’s or Sungmin’s for, even when he was a blood doll, Daroll would allow him to read and try to memorize the Dragon Tiers.</p><p>It was in one of the first afternoons of winter that Daroll called Younghyun over to the mountains. The two took their time to climb up, with the boy thankful for still being a blood doll. When Younghyun started to show signs of being tired they stopped.</p><p>"Younghyun, how many times did you stop to look at the setting sun?" the older vampire asked.</p><p>The blood doll pondered the question but shrugged as he replied. "Not many. I have always been more eager for the rising sun," he couldn't really understand why his father was asking such a thing. Even if he was to become a vampire he would still come to see the sun.</p><p>"Your eagerness will change now, Younghyun, humans fear the sun won't appear again but after changing, for a few centuries you'll dread the rising sun. Even if you're a dragon the sun won't ever give you pleasure again. In the winter you look forward to it for its heat, but from today onwards you'll hate heat." Daroll replied.</p><p>Younghyun knew those words should have sounded as a strong warning, some kind of sad prophecy, but other than being worried about feeling those fears, he felt elated because those words could only mean he would finally become a vampire.</p><p>"Today? Now?" the boy asked eagerly, completely disregarding the warning. Daroll smiled somewhat sadly at the lack of wish in Younghyun to remain human.</p><p>"Not now, but today. Watch the last sunset you'll see as a human." saying that, Daroll climbed up a tree and sat down at a branch to watch the sun hiding behind the village. Younghyun followed without saying anything and just obeying his father, yet he didn’t sit down, he used one of the branches as railing and from the spot he had chosen he could also look at the vampire without being seen unless Daroll turned around.</p><p>As his eyes kept resting on Daroll, Younghyun had the impression the other was deciding over something and apparently was resolute to follow the decision. Younghyun looked ahead then and he pondered, as he watched the sky turning pink-ish, how his life changed so much. One of the things he disliked was that he had to refrain from calling Daroll with ‘father’, it was only after moving to a completely different place and having strangers saying they were two good looking ‘brothers’ did he notice how strange it was for him to keep calling the other ‘father’.</p><p>When only the coven was around he still used the endearment, yes, but it still felt surreal how Chungyeol, more than Sungmin he could add, also called Daroll ‘father’, while Jia called the older vampire with ‘grandfather’ and Elena sometimes with ‘father-in-law’. To get Younghyun used to calling Daroll with 'hyung' they even resorted to the tactic of Sungmin ordering Younghyun around. One time he had complained that the petit vampire had not given him back his free will but Sungmin had retorted with a teasing 'dad's order' that left Younghyun sulking for a few hours.</p><p>When his eyes actually fell on the setting sun, Younghyun felt slightly disappointed. It was not the most beautiful sunset he had seen so far and he felt like he deserved to have the most beautiful one as his last as a human. But then he thought to himself, he would still see the most beautiful one of his requiem.</p><p>Younghyun counted the seconds it took for the sun to be completely hidden behind the village. Daroll only climbed down when it was completely dark and Younghyun followed suit when he noticed his father walking to the nearby cliff.</p><p>"The bite itself will not hurt, but the transformation will. You will feel the pain the sun will cause if you are to be careless in the few first years." Daroll explained looking down the cliff.</p><p>Younghyun nodded and felt glad his resolution didn't waver at the crucial moment. "I am ready, father." the only thought crossing the human's mind at that moment was how close he was to really mean the endearment based on a blood link.</p><p>"Close your eyes." Daroll ordered and Younghyun willingly obeyed. The older vampire took the two steps separating him from Younghyun and with care took hold of the boy in a thigh hold; Younghyun responded the hug resting his head in his father's shoulder.</p><p>Daroll took a deep breath, delighting himself with Younghyun’s scent, such delicious scent wouldn't be a pleasant one in a few moments, the vampire thought with sadness. Not to kill Younghyun with anxiety Daroll placed a soft kiss at the younger's neck and at the next second Younghyun felt safe, he felt happiness and he could clearly see his mother in his head, telling him to take care of Daroll.</p><p>While the boy was dazed, Daroll paid extra attention to Younghyun’s heartbeat, he dreaded its slowing rate, dreaded the lessening of the blood flow. When the boy couldn't stand anymore on his own, Daroll took a firmer hold and when the time was right laid the boy down.</p><p>The moment Daroll stopped sucking his blood out, Younghyun was hit with the terrifying certainty he was dying, but he was too weak to do anything, he could barely hear Daroll telling him to drink. He felt the liquid filling his mouth and with a bit of effort took a first gulp. Afterwards the boy was avidly drinking, a faint realization that the thing he was drinking was his father's blood. He had felt a slight increase of his awareness but the moment Daroll forced the source of blood away from Younghyun’s hold with a soft 'enough' he felt something painfully compressing his chest, everything went dark and suddenly he was burning alive. His whole body felt on fire and it was hell painful, no amount of eagerness or mental training had been enough for that.</p><p>He couldn't know for how long he had burned, but eventually the pain lessened and his whole body felt numb before he blacked out completely.</p><p>Daroll watched with a heavy heart the pained expression his son had, knowing he could do nothing as his blood worked on Younghyun’s change. When Younghyun’s expression became serene, Daroll made Younghyun’s lifeless body sit on his lap and he waited, not long after he felt Younghyun tensing up and hissing in warning.</p><p>Younghyun didn't know where he was, but the moment the strong smell of a vampire registered in his senses and he noticed the vampire in question was imprisoning him in a strong hold, his natural reaction was to hiss in warning for him to be released.</p><p>"You have to get used to my smell, Younghyun." Daroll spoke softly and Younghyun tensed again but that time in recognition and shame for hissing at <em>his father</em>.</p><p>"I’m sorry," Younghyun mumbled wincing as a sharp pain in his throat registered, he was feeling like he hadn't drunk water for over a month. "Thirsty," he complained the moment Daroll helped him to his feet. Younghyun felt weak and slightly dizzy. He took a deep breath not understanding himself why he did that, but he grunted in annoyance over something he didn't know what.</p><p>"I’m sorry, Younghyun, there was another reason as for why I brought you here. To have you away from 'food'." Daroll said keeping a hold of the boy.</p><p>Younghyun frowned but he understood what he had done, he had instinctively searched for 'food', he felt annoyed because there was no smell of human blood around and he was extremely thirsty.</p><p>"As I had expected you are too weak and thirsty to be around humans yet. If we were in the village you could have had a rampant and exterminated the whole population." Daroll said in concern as he helped his younger progeny to stand against a tree.</p><p>"I need blood, dad," Even though Younghyun only half understood the concern, he still complained holding on to his father as he was still too dizzy to stand on his own. "I don't remember hyungs going on rampant."</p><p>"I had embraced both Chungyeol and Sungmin when they were in the brick of death, I hadn't taken much of their blood when I embraced them, Chungyeol had slept through half a night and a full day, Sungmin had slept for a few hours because I had embraced him during the day, because they had slept they were not as weak as you are when they woke up, they were able to manage feeding on humans without endangering their prey's lives, it was their choice to kill while feeding because they had taken their mortal enemies as first meal, if you were to feed on a human right now you wouldn't have a choice, you would kill an innocent. Because you so desperately need blood now, it was risky to change you at home." Daroll explained and silence ensued after his words, Younghyun was thinking over that bunch of information slowly.</p><p>"Then why you didn't embrace me in the morning?" Younghyun pouted causing Daroll to smile apologetically at his progeny.</p><p>"I was not sure about the consequences of embracing a healthy human, Younghyun, so I opted to embrace you at night like I had done with Chungyeol, I had expected you to wake up only tomorrow night, but I was wrong. You woke up practically right away."</p><p>"How long?" the newborn vampire mumbled then, feeling lost in time, to Younghyun he had felt like he had burned for a few hours but Daroll assured it was "Just a few minutes," and added something else that made the boy wince. "Chungyeol and Sungmin had burned for almost half the time they had spent sleeping before waking up to their requiem."</p><p>Younghyun replied nothing to that because he couldn't really think straight. The newborn closed his eyes and tried to will his thirst away, but he suddenly reopened them when the cool - for a vampire - air around him turned cold. When his eyes landed on his father, Daroll was pretty much shining that same ethereal glow his scythe had. In front of the ancient vampire there was a small ball of some strange blue fire that was somehow taking the form of a bird. When the transformation was complete if let off a high chirp and flew away.</p><p>The younger was about to ask what that was all about, but the words got stuck in his throat because the moment Daroll opened his eyes, they were no longer their original color, but some nebulous and luminous blue. Suddenly Daroll spoke startling Younghyun again. "Mishra, Younghyun is thirsty and weak, bring him food."</p><p>After those words Daroll blinked and his pupils were back to normal. The older vampire chuckled at the open mouthed stare Younghyun was shooting him with. "A few of the necromancers’ spells I had mastered, they always leave me tired, though," Younghyun nodded at the explanation thankful for that, even though he didn't really know what the spell did.</p><p>But even without understanding the means, the results were clear, Mishra was going to bring him food, because of that his breathing slowed so he could take longer and deeper intakes of air. At one point Younghyun felt the smell of a vampire approaching but he also felt another warmer and tempting smell, the boy had never once thought about blood that way, not even when he had to drink Sungmin’s blood to which he sometimes felt compelled to steal.</p><p>He only noticed he had jumped on his feet and sprinted in the direction of the smell when his back painfully collided against the ground, courtesy of his father restraining him. He hissed again out of instinct and tried to rebel, but came to his senses once again when his father ordered him to stop. If Sungmin’s orders were impossible to go against, Daroll’s had the same great impact but for a small fraction of a second Younghyun thought of going against it.</p><p>"Younghyun, I embraced you because you had vowed as a human kid to love me as my son, blood of my blood. You never disappointed me as a human, now that you are a vampire, even more you shall never disappoint me. Innocent humans are to be cherished and protected. I killed many vampires for torturing humans in my territory, if you allow your craving to dominate you, I will feel disappointed. If you do not meet my expectation I will feel responsible and to redeem it I would have to eliminate you, the first night of a requiem defines the rest of it. Do not disappoint me, do not disappoint your mother."</p><p>Younghyun had felt angry at Daroll for so bluntly saying he would just kill him if he was not pleased with his creation. The boy had for a moment felt like a thing that older vampire could dispose of any way he wanted, but at Daroll’s last words something heavy constricted Younghyun's heart. The pain his father had gone through when his mother was assassinated, the pain he had gone through as well because of that, his father was telling him not to cause that kind of pain to other innocent humans. Worst of all, the pain Daroll would have to go through if he was to kill his own son because Younghyun become a ruthless vampire, since his progenitor didn't embrace him in a right moment. Younghyun shouldn't allow such a thing, he wanted to protect his family, wanted to make them proud.</p><p>Younghyun closed his eyes again and took steady long breaths, having his throat burn and telling himself that that pain was nothing if he took a step wrongly and he ended up disappointing his father. Daroll smiled sadly at seeing Younghyun trembling underneath him, trying to control himself.</p><p>When Mishra arrived carrying a human lady on her back - Younghyun noticed belatedly she had followed the soul bird to there - the newborn grunted as Daroll let go of him. Mishra had never seen such shiny red eyes, even herself felt tempted to allow Younghyun to drink her blood. The newborn jumped the human that fortunately was already unconscious, otherwise she would have fainted from pain.</p><p>For ten heartbeats Younghyun lost track of himself but then, terrified, he noticed Daroll was holding on to his shoulders telling him to feed slower, Mishra suddenly shouted for him to stop and with a great deal of willpower he let go of the girl. His eyes widened as he looked at the girl's neck, there were six punctured marks, all of them dangerously too close to each other, a deep nasty purple mark was around them and there was still blood coming out of the wounds. He felt even more terrified he had caused such a wound in mere seconds.</p><p>He stumbled behind onto his father, while Mishra licked the wounds and inspected the bruises left behind. "I should have brought a hooker, if this girl goes back home with this, she'll be despised by her family and no man will want her." There was a strange intonation in Mishra’s voice the older vampire didn’t miss.</p><p>"Her pulse?" Daroll asked concerned.</p><p>"Weak, she is often weak and faints a lot, that's why I shouted, sorry, Younghyun, I should have warned you to go slower, or at least try to.” Mishra replied, but then her piercing stare locked with Daroll’s as if she was asking for permission, but the older vampire couldn't understand her stare. The next moment, though, Mishra was tearing the skin of her wrist and forcing blood on the girl's mouth.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing?!" Daroll questioned irate, while Younghyun just stared, his own scream of protest stuck in his throat.</p><p>"It’s ok, Daroll, I am not breaking any vows here, this can't be considered embracing, you know she'll just became a blood doll, plus... She's someone I care for, someone I want to help and... If she really decides to end this life of hers I want to offer her a requiem."</p><p>Mishra's tone was soft, pained, if the panic written all over her face moments ago when Younghyun was feeding was any indication it was really the first time Mishra had shown genuine interest in a human not as a some sort of food. It intrigued Daroll even more. "If you care for her, why did you bring her to become a newborn's first meal?" the sire questioned with much less angriness in his tone.</p><p>Mishra smiled mirthlessly caressing the girl's hair while licking the wound in her own wrist. "I guess I didn't consider a child of yours could be able to go on rampant, I was not totally wrong, Younghyun stopped in time, even if not fully on his own.</p><p>"I’m sorry." the newborn vampire managed to mumble and Mishra smiled reassuringly at him.</p><p>Daroll sighed but turned to his progeny.  "You drank enough to be able to go hunt with me, Younghyun, do not worry about what you don't have to. Mishra, I trust you know what you're doing."</p><p>The female kindred nodded even if the other two were not looking at her. "I know what to tell her. We kind of have a history."</p><p>Both Daroll and Younghyun had wanted to question that, but Younghyun’s need of blood was more urgent so the two left shortly, moving between the trees, trying to locate some wild animal Younghyun could feed from. First they had found some foxes but Younghyun refused to drink from them, they ended up finding some wild rabbits and later a mountain bear that worked just fine to fill Younghyun for the night.</p><p>The two vampires headed back to where they had left Mishra and were surprised to hear giggling. The two of them climbed on the trees and tried to see what was going on from up there, the young human woman they had left behind almost dead was giggling and jumping around like a happy kid, pulling Mishra along in her happy twirling.</p><p>"Thank you, Kitsune-san! Thank you very much! I've never felt this healthy before!" the girl was saying in pure bliss.</p><p>"Mio, calm down, remember, I told you this won't last long, there's a chance you won't survive when this spell wears off." Mishra warned, but the smile on her face made the words lose the strength they should have had.</p><p>"Three weeks are enough, Kitsune-san, the marriage will be next week, I’ll be healthy and make my family proud," the human girl replied much sober. "If I really die afterwards, that’s what's supposed to be, I won't have regrets."</p><p>Mishra sighed. "You are really something, Mio. Remember to be gentle, you are half Kitsune now, you can't let them notice you are not fully human anymore," her tone was resigned but still contradicted. "Let’s go back; you'll be in trouble if they notice you are not safely sleeping in your bed.</p><p>"Yes, Kitsune-san, I’ll be careful." the human replied seriously but then a big smile broke through and she piped up before running off in her new acquired inhuman speed. "Race you!" Mishra giggled before rushing after her very first blood doll.</p><p>The sunrise was nearing but Mishra was not back yet. Younghyun had been pampered by his coven from the moment he stepped inside their house and locked inside the basement - they had prepared it to protect him from the sun, much like they had done with Sungmin, but the newborn still felt compelled to go out and feed more. Humans smelled much better than animals and Chungyeol affirmed they also tasted much better and were much more nourishing.</p><p>Younghyun had felt sated after finishing the mountain bear off, he was quite sure he didn’t need more blood but the smell was tempting and still made his throat burn with want. “This is something that won’t ever stop, Younghyun, you will forever feel you didn’t have enough, but the temptation can be overcome, with time you’ll get your body used to the pain, you’ll know when it’s necessary to feed and when it’s just lust for blood, but for a while you’ll have to be careful when feeding and we will all look after you.” Daroll explained and somehow he noticed how Sungmin had looked everywhere but at him.</p><p>The newborn could clearly see why, Daroll rarely was spotted feeding and he would often do it on nearby humans, like the servants or people directly working for him. Chungyeol kept on feeding on a regular base on both of his blood dolls always alternating between the two, every day he would take a taste, a ‘snack’ as they called it, but at least twice a week he would drink a ‘full meal’, one for each blood doll, the only times Chungyeol would feed on strangers was when it was time for him to give blood instead of taking. Younghyun could only tag that as feeding regularly and when they felt it was necessary, something that clearly didn’t happen with either Sungmin or Mishra, but the male was still worse than her.</p><p>The gangrel would feed a full meal every day regardless of need, Sungmin would feed a full meal and take several snacks every single day, that couldn’t be considered a composed way of feeding. Younghyun fully understood then that the petit vampire had problems to conceal his thirst because of his ability to smell the details in the blood.</p><p>“I have something called a fetish for blood, Younghyun, whenever a smell calls my attention I feel the need to taste it in my mouth, I know I don’t need the blood, but I can’t keep myself away from drinking anyway. For this first week we’ll test your abilities to smell blood, hearing and sensing. They are vital for you now.” Sungmin explained after Daroll and Chungyeol left the room to converse about what happened in the mountains regarding Mishra.</p><p>“If you have this kind of fetish, why didn’t you go on rampant but I did?” Younghyun questioned then, he didn’t mean to sound accusing, but he wanted to understand what happened.</p><p>“I don’t know, Younghyun, we can only speculate. Chungyeol hyung had been tortured, Daroll hyung had drank very little of his blood for the ritual of embracing, maybe because of that there was more kindred vitae working on Chungyeol’s change, I had been thrown from a high place and got a nasty gash in my head, I lost a lot of blood before Daroll hyung embraced me, so I also had more of his vitae working on my change, but you were different, Daroll hyung had to drink most of your blood, your vitae was still mingling with his when he embraced you, you were perfectly fine, the vitae didn’t have to cure you first before you were ready to wake up, as it had to do with both me and Chungyeol hyung. And for the record, I went on rampant, Younghyun, Daroll hyung just stopped me with the right words before I could kill who shouldn’t be killed.” Sungmin explained and Younghyun felt bad for what he had said.</p><p>The two were still conversing when Younghyun felt the first signs of drowsiness, he knew the sun was coming out and he would be asleep while it was up, but Mishra was still not back and he didn’t want to sleep yet, he wanted to talk with her about the girl he almost killed. His hope of keeping himself awake to wait for her was proven fruitless though because it was almost lunchtime when Mishra arrived.</p><p>Daroll immediately called her to talk in private and for a few hours they discussed about Mishra’s relationship with the human called Mio, all members of the coven learned what there was to know about the girl, all but the sleeping Younghyun.</p><p>That night Mishra was away again, and the newborn felt disappointed he couldn’t talk to her, he had felt tempted to go and trace the gangrel but Daroll clearly had other plans. That second night of his requiem was focused on the ways to feed, how to select the meal and how to control his thirst. That night Younghyun fed from five different people in order for him to compare the tastes so they could know if Sungmin’s blood had influenced him and he could smell and taste details as well, but it didn’t happen. Just like his sire and Chungyeol, Younghyun could only differentiate the major differences of ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘child’ and ‘pregnancy’.</p><p>For roughly a week the newborn kept on being tested on range of hearing and smelling. Younghyun couldn’t be more happy as after each test it was proven he was much more like Daroll than the other progeny, he didn’t have a very large range of smelling but his hearing was just as accurate as Daroll’s.</p><p>Despite the fact that he knew those tests were important he couldn’t really make sure why Mishra was never there when he was awake, but was just guarding his sleeping form. The fact that it had something to do with the Mio girl made him even more edgy. So one night when Sungmin was hunting in the mountains with him, Younghyun decided not to trace animals but to try and trace Mishra, he knew she was somewhere at the other side of the mountain and he needed to find her.</p><p>The fact that he got a faint trace of her smell made him more adventurous so he tried to leave Sungmin behind. Pleased with the fact that it seemed he was faster than the petit vampire he focused all of him into following the smell as fast as he could. He ended up hiding at the roof of some sort of temple, crying in front of a stone statue was a girl he had smelled before, someone he had tasted before. He didn’t particularly understand why it pained him how she was holding on to Mishra like her life depended on it and how profusely she was crying.</p><p>He focused then to hear what the two were saying to each other. Mishra was trying to convince the girl to run away, to leave her family behind because they didn’t deserve her, but Mio was retorting she couldn’t do that. They already thought of her as a burden they didn’t want to carry, she didn’t want them to curse her for being ungrateful and such a bad daughter to run away just before her marriage.</p><p>The topic suddenly didn’t please Younghyun in the least, but he couldn’t make of the strings a full rope so a few minutes later, after Mishra took the girl back home, he dared to follow and see what was happening. Mio’s house was in complete darkness and silence, all members of the family were sleeping but only Mio remained awake after laying down. Younghyun approached Mishra who kept looking at the house from afar. He had expected to be scolded by the older vampire but she merely smiled at him with a mix of pride and sadness.</p><p>“Daroll was right. Sooner or later you would put your training behind to look after us. Everything is all right, Younghyun, you don’t have to worry for her. If she dies it won’t be because you had taken too much of her blood.” Mishra told him while caressing his cheek, her words though didn’t fully appease him.</p><p>“I am jealous, I was the only human you had ever cared for. I want to know who this girl is that keeps my noona away from me.” Younghyun mumbled trying to hide his concern for the human girl, but Mishra seemed to see past it.</p><p>She smirked lightly before retorting. “You are no longer a human.” She teased but then looked back at the house, at the window she knew was from Mio’s room.</p><p>“I met her at the temple, she was praying for her Gods to give her health so she could at least marry and therefore fulfill one of the life plans her family had for her. Apparently she had always been frail, too weak to clean the house, or to stand the heat of cooking meals. Her only talent was sewing but that had never been enough, because she’s the oldest daughter she’s supposed to marry first, but all her family worried she would die before that could happen.” Mishra started to explain and Younghyun turned his attention to the dark house.</p><p>“Recently a fine man showed interest in her family, he was infatuated by their second daughter, but because they wanted to marry Mio they forced her to him. They secretly told him that she wouldn’t live long and that the marriage would probably be her last party, that’s how much they believed she would make it to a better life. He had accepted to marry Mio, but with the promise of marrying Setuska after Mio’s death. All of that had been agreed behind Mio’s back.” Mishra continued and Younghyun didn’t need that much more explaining.</p><p>Because of her new blood doll powers Mio found out about the agreement, how her family had already given up on her and how all the marriage preparation was thinking much more about Setuska’s future than hers. She had all the reasons to be crying that much.</p><p>“And she refuses to run away with you? Did you tell her you are actually a vampire?” Younghyun asked with a small voice and felt hopeless as Mishra shook her head. “Mio calls me ‘Kitsune’, I learned it’s a legend the humans here in Nishinari created, probably based on vampires that like me can shape-shift into a fox. I offered to turn her into a full ‘Kistune’ without really saying she would become a vampire, but she refused. She said only her sister hates her, her family had given up on her, but they don’t hate her. If she runs away they would hate her and she wouldn’t bear such a thing.” Mishra replied with indignation building up in her voice.</p><p>“Her sister hates her? Why would she hate Mio?” Younghyun asked without thinking much, he was still unaware how females could be dreadful if a ‘lover’ was involved. She sighed before replying. “Younghyun, you are so naïve sometimes. Setuska hates Mio because ‘she got better’. Mio was so weak her family believed she wouldn’t even make it to her wedding party, Setuska started daydreaming about all the preparations to be hers already, she really fell in love with Mio’s fiancé and truthfully she hated the idea her lover would have to marry her sister first, have another woman as his. That’s why she hates Mio.”</p><p>Younghyun stared at the house again and remembered his childish fears, Mio didn’t deserve such little trust. “What I hate the most is that Setuska forced herself onto Mio’s fiancé, they made secret vows just between themselves and he claimed her as his woman promising he would never touch Mio. She heard everything, Younghyun, and now she is resigned to die. I hate small minded humans!” Those words made Younghyun look at the situation with other eyes. Mishra had been sentenced to death by her own family, her family didn’t care for her the way she cared for them, that’s why Mio was important to her. Unknown to Mishra, Younghyun made a secret vow just to himself.</p><p>The newborn vampire held Mishra in a tender embrace before telling her he needed to go back home because he was starting to feel sleepy. The gangrel got worried with him and therefore decided to escort him back home before coming back and watching the damn marriage happening. She felt tempted to ruin everything but if she did Mishra was sure Mio would hate her. Half way back to the mountains Sungmin joined them with a tentative smirk and an ‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’ towards the rebellious newborn.</p><p>For the next day Younghyun slept in peace, but the moment he opened his eyes the only thought crossing his mind was what had happened to Mio. He and Sungmin left with the alibi of hunting more to the west and maybe visiting other villages for a safest feed. Daroll glanced at Younghyun with a serious expression before allowing them out. Once they were far away enough Chungyeol sighed looking at his sire. “Younghyun will end up killing innocent humans, Daroll. Will you really allow?” the oldest vampire smiled at Chungyeol before summoning an ethereal bird to follow Younghyun around.</p><p>“For the way I look into things, they are not so innocent. They act in ways I despise, I allowed both you and Sungmin to make the justice you thought was necessary, why wouldn’t I allow Younghyun to do the same? This girl had been the very first human he had fed from, she’s somehow important to him. Because she was innocent a vampire spared her life and another one even granted her kindred vitae, but the humans she trusts and loves are wishing and awaiting her premature death. I won’t interfere if Younghyun feels in the right to make justice for her.” Daroll replied as they watched the bird fly in the opposite direction Younghyun and Sungmin said they would take.</p><p>Not noticing the surveillance Daroll had casted on them the two youngest vampires headed to where Mishra was to spy on the first night of Mio’s married life. They arrived in time to spot Mio being taken to a room by her husband, the radiant smile in both faces vanished once the door was closed.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Mio asked startled and in half disbelief as the other moved to undress her.</p><p>“Claiming what’s mine since I married you.” Her husband replied with a mocking smile that disgusted Mio to the core. She took a step away from him.</p><p>“Don’t you dare touch me, I made a pact with a Kitsune, that’s why I am healthy now, you’ll regret if you dare touch me,” She warned but her tone was laced with fear, with sadness because that man was not faithful. What made her sadder was the thought that her sister would deserve such a man for all the hate she began to feel against her own blood.</p><p>“A Kitsune eh? Don’t make me laugh,” The other tried to hold on to her but a red fox jumped inside the room and hissed at them. The man watched dumbfounded as the slender animal transformed into a human, the naked woman freaking him out other than turning him on.</p><p>“You should really listen to what she says,” Mishra mocked in return. “You know I should really kill you for being this low and despicable, but I promised Mio I wouldn’t do anything that would make her hate me. Yet you are forbidden to touch her because I made a promise, but they didn’t.” The two humans in the room paled in fear at the sight of the two beautiful pale young men with vivid red eyes that appeared from nowhere.</p><p>“Don’t scream. I won’t hurt you… much.” Younghyun ordered the male, testing his vampiric powers. Mio ran to the awaiting arms of Mishra as she watched terrified Younghyun feeding on her husband. Sungmin walked closer and caressed her hair, what made her cower in fear even more.</p><p>“Just like a scared bunny,” Sungmin chuckled making a hand sign for her to remain silent.</p><p>“They won’t hurt you, Mio, they are my friends,” Mishra cuddled the human with a small smile. “They are here to make sure no-one will hurt you, and that everything will be the way you want it to be until the spell wears off.”</p><p>Mio nodded but her attention shifted from the gangrel to the youngest dragon when he spoke again. “I’m still thirsty. The first time I really didn’t pay attention to your taste, I promise I won’t hurt you like before.” He said with a captivating innocent smile. Mio felt stunned. When was it that a bloodsucker had fed on her?</p><p>Mio had wished to rebel, but she didn’t budge when Mishra let go of her and the lank vampire took her in his arms. Somehow she couldn’t keep her eyes away from his, but she was still aware of what was going on around her. The moment she felt Younghyun’s lips on her neck her eyes landed on Sungmin taking her ‘husband’ to the bed.</p><p>She couldn’t really understand what was going on, the bloodsucker holding on to her had a really gentle touch, she shivered as she felt him landing on her neck a peck followed by a wet nip. She feared the pain of his bite but it never came, she had felt the tender bite much like another kiss, her whole being felt safe. She closed her eyes and her whole body focused on the spot on her neck Younghyun was gently sucking at.</p><p>On the other hand Younghyun himself didn’t know what exactly he was doing, he had hugged his mother, Elena and Mishra countless times, but never he had a woman in his arms the way he was having Mio, he had her close but it didn’t seem enough, he knew she was scared but he didn’t want her to be scared of him, when he felt her arms holding his hips he kind of lost it. He licked the wound in her neck and then his mouth was over her lips and she was kissing back in a gentle move.</p><p>Yet as suddenly as the kiss started it ended, Mio pulling away effortlessly covering her mouth in shame. They kept staring at each other for a few seconds but then the sudden link was broken when Mishra scolded him and Sungmin teased his younger brother. “I’m sorry,” Younghyun mumbled to Mio before hastily leaving. Everything felt just too surreal back there for him to understand.</p><p>Along the way, Sungmin kept on teasing, telling a beet-red Younghyun how to please a female human in order to get from her the most delicious taste when feeding, but the younger forced himself not to pay attention. Back at the safeness of his basement room Younghyun locked himself in and got lost in the kind of thoughts he hated the most: what-ifs.</p><p>Mishra stayed behind with the dumbfounded Mio, assuring nobody would know about what just happened there, that her husband wouldn’t dare expose the secret and most importantly that Younghyun wouldn’t come around again. ‘Younghyun’ Mio thought, not knowing if she really wanted him to <em>not</em> show up again.</p><p>For the next few days Younghyun tried to fight the strange urge he had to go check on the human girl, whereas Mishra didn’t come back home anymore, not even to take care of Younghyun during the day. The next time the newborn found himself running to the village at the other side of the mountain was when he heard Sungmin telling Daroll that the kindred vitae in Mio was almost over and that she was on the brink of death. If she had not been his very first meal she wouldn’t be on the ‘brink of death’, Younghyun chastised himself while running to her.</p><p>He had controlled himself just fine every time he had heard something about Mio, he didn’t go running when she felt depressed over hearing her husband’s family badmouthing her and praising Setuska. He didn’t go running when Mio got slapped by her little sister when she tried to tell the man she loved had tried to force himself onto her. He didn’t go running when he heard about the first signs of her becoming a full human again started showing, but there he was running to her after hearing she was really dying.</p><p>Younghyun felt in the least disappointed when he entered the room they kept for her at her husband’s house, the only one taking care of her was Mishra and that didn’t really count. The newborn felt sad for her, whenever he had been sick his mother and his nana had always kept him company and after his father came back home all his hyungs and noonas had taken care of him, Mio was dying and there was nobody but a vampire worried with her state.</p><p>“Kitsune-san… thank you.” Mio mumbled with her eyes closed, Mishra tightened her hold in the human’s hand.</p><p>“Stop calling me ‘kitsune’. I already told you I am a bloodsucker as well. Mio… let me save you.” Mishra replied with a pained tone. The human shook her head.</p><p>“I don’t want to become a bloodsucker, I don’t want to be half it anymore… everybody gave up on me, I’m giving up as well.” Mio replied weakly, her voice nothing but a whisper.</p><p>“Mishra noona didn’t give up on you,” Younghyun suddenly said, startling the human. Younghyun frowned at the increase in her heart beat tempo, but other than she seeming to have some color back she paled even more. “Mishra didn’t give up on you, why are you giving up on her?”</p><p>Mio frowned and closed her eyes again. He was right; the one supposed to be a monster had shown much more care than her own bloodline. “I’m through with this life… I don’t want this weak body anymore… I don’t want these memories anymore. I’m tired… I’m exhausted…”</p><p>Younghyun sat at the other side the futon Mishra was occupying. “You deserve more and we can give you more.” He didn’t know why he wanted so much to keep her alive, he was sure it was not just remorse for endangering her life the way he did, though some part of him did feel like he stole from her maybe a few years by feeding on her the way he did.</p><p>She shook her head again. “I’ve been… so miserable in this… lifetime… if I deserve more… I’ll be granted another life… where I’ll have the fortunes and blessings… it hurts so much… can you make me… stop hurting?” Mishra had already explained her how their bite could be some sort of pleasure or a very formidable way to torture their preys, so she knew what she was asking and hoped Younghyun would accept her request.</p><p>It was something most of them believed in, another lifetime to live. He knew it was possible and he knew there was no guarantee her next life would be just flowers, it could be even worse. Suddenly he remembered his mother’s last words. ‘Find me again.’</p><p>Mishra stood up and allowed the two to have more space, that kind of gentle stare was unmistakable. Mishra had felt attached to the human girl because somehow she had resembled her human self, but that girl was actually Younghyun’s companion, or could have been if only the two could see they were actually in love with each other. Maybe, just maybe, Younghyun could be able to save her. The gangrel watched, not noticing Daroll’s messenger, not noticing the oldest vampire was also watching.</p><p>“I can make you stop hurting, but if I do, I will hurt in your place. Mio… I can live much longer than a human’s lifetime… If I find you again… if I meet the reincarnated you… do you promise me to accept this offer and stay with us? Would you accept to stay beside me?” Younghyun found himself saying, wishing he could chain her soul to his like his father had done with his mother’s soul, but he knew he didn’t have the power, he was but a newborn that knew almost nothing.</p><p>Mio closed her eyes in pain trying to breathe. “If you find me… again… then we are destined to each other… so keep me…” she replied making Mishra frown. Younghyun was not Daroll’s son, but the two were just too much similar, they dared gamble with destiny, dared gamble with their own souls and their companions accepted the gamble.</p><p>“I’ll make you remember that when we meet again,” Younghyun retorted seriously, before he kissed her cold parted lips for the second time. She kissed him back shortly but they parted so she could take in a deep needed breath. Younghyun took the opportunity to give her a vampire kiss, completely easing her pain, making her feel warm and cherished, wishing she would hold him again. Weakly Mio moved her hand to entangle her finger in his hair in silent answer to his wish.</p><p>Younghyun’s touch was gentle, she really didn’t feel the end, one moment she could only feel him, in the next she felt nothing at all. The newborn vampire licked the wound on her neck leaving a soft kiss on the spot he had bitten. He had killed while feeding, he had killed an innocent, but he didn’t feel like he had disappointed his father doing so.</p><p>“Noona… if I die would my soul go to the helm of souls?” Younghyun asked with a small voice, his forehead resting over Mio’s chest, in vain hope to hear her heart beating again.</p><p>“I… Don’t know, Younghyun…” Mishra replied completely lost on why Younghyun decided to kill Mio, not understanding why he would kill someone he had fallen in love with. “Why? Why didn’t you save her?”</p><p>Younghyun looked at his noona with a sad smile, doing so he spotted his father’s ethereal bird. “If we had embraced her now, or if we had turned her into a blood doll, she wouldn’t be happy, she would keep on suffering this lifetime’s pain. If she doesn’t want to stay, it’s not my right to force her into an existence she doesn’t want. I would rather live knowing she doesn’t hate me as she would rather die after knowing the ones she loved didn’t love her back.”</p><p>Mishra still couldn’t fully understand their reasoning. Love was still something she couldn’t grasp. The gangrel frowned once again when Younghyun asked her to help him kill those that had dared to make Mio’s life so frustrating.</p><p>“She had given up on them, as they had given up on her. I don’t believe they are allowed to find happiness if her death was a requirement for it. Noona, you had cared for her, we shall avenge her, just like we avenged my mother,” Younghyun said standing up and looking seriously at the gangrel. “Her parents, her sister and the husband” he listed in a hiss.</p><p>“Let’s give them a show they won’t ever forget,” Mishra nodded morphing into a red fox. She howled with all the intention to wake up and call over the people sleeping at the other rooms, Younghyun sat on the futon with his gaze over Mio’s lifeless body.</p><p>The first to get to the room was the ‘husband’ and his parents, Mishra attacked the man without ceremony, Younghyun stared at the old couple with all the anger he felt, spell-binding the two to only pay attention to him. He didn’t really know how he had done that but it worked, maybe it was just natural for him to manipulate others when he was that angry. “She was your in-law, but you didn’t care for her, you all wished her death so you could move on to the real deal,” Younghyun shook his head in dismay. “Little did you know that your life was bound to hers, the only reason we didn’t do anything against you was because we didn’t want her to feel responsible for your deaths. Now there’s nothing to protect you from our wrath. Your punishment is to watch your son die.” Younghyun vanished the moment Mishra threw at the two their gravely wounded son, they still tried to aid him, but it was to no avail.</p><p>Silently Younghyun and Mishra ran to Mio’s original house near the temple, all of them were asleep as well. Setuska became Mishra’s meal and the gangrel made sure she felt ten folds the pain Mio had felt. Her parents were awoken by her screams of pain and the moment they entered the room, Younghyun took hold of the mother. “We are here to give you the sad news of Mio’s death and with it, death itself for the grief she had to feel while facing death alone.” He hissed at the woman keeping her eyes focused on her dying daughter.</p><p>After the girl was dead the newborn attacked both older humans, also taking them as meals for the night, he didn’t dare kill them like Mishra had done with Setuska, with little effort he broke their necks at the same time shouts from the servants were heard. They had also woken up and upon noticing the bloodsuckers rushed to bring torches to retaliate and defend themselves. But they were too late, Mio was already avenged, the bloodsucker and the Kitsune were gone.</p><p>As the last deal of the night Younghyun went back to get Mio’s body and felt horrified to see her in-laws had taken her body outside and set fire on it. Mishra snarled at the scene but the commotion had already been too big so they retreated back to the other side of the mountain, somewhere those humans wouldn’t easily have access to.</p><p>Mishra stayed outside of the house while Younghyun kept himself away in the wild. On the way back home Daroll’s bird had flown around her and she probably got some kind of message because she told him not to go home yet, that his father would like to talk to him at the mountains, so he should wait for his sire.</p><p>The wait itself didn’t last that long, Daroll showed up some half an hour later, his expression stern but not frightening. Younghyun stiffened at the sight of his father but it just made Daroll smile slightly. “You went against my principles, Younghyun, you killed an innocent human while feeding. Are you resigned to die?” Daroll asked with a distant sad tone.</p><p>The newborn winced at the direct question, the time he spent alone waiting had been filled with thoughts about what was to come. He knew he had failed his father, he knew that by killing Mio he could be sentencing himself to death on the hands of his own progenitor, but he understood her pain, he understood she didn’t want to keep on living with such scar, he didn’t want that for her either.</p><p>Younghyun lowered his head in a sign of respect. “I am not resigned to die, she had wished for it and I had granted her wish. As for the others… I do not see them as innocent people.” The boy replied shortly not daring to look up.</p><p>“Then do not question what would happen to your soul if you were to die. Focus on waiting for her like you had promised,” Younghyun looked up taken aback by his father’s words. The oldest vampire closed his eyes shortly while sighing, a small smile playing on his lips as he continued. “I can’t stop myself from thinking I ended up giving you a bad example.” Those words caused the boy to frown in reply.</p><p>The oldest vampire walked closer and rested his hands on his progeny’s shoulder. “Younghyun, waiting for someone to reincarnate is not easy, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to find her, nor keep your promise, neither keep her.”</p><p>“But you wait for my mother regardless, next time I meet Mio, I’ll make things right for her.” Younghyun retorted still frowning at the expression his father had.</p><p>“Younghyun, when I embraced you I had vowed to myself not to allow something like this to happen again. Your mother asked me to find her again, and I will find her, but if I cannot embrace her, then I won’t even glance at her a second time… Whenever I meet her it’s too painful, either watch her happiness or her suffering is something I can’t do anymore. I have seen her die too many times, I have been the cause of her death too many times.” Daroll said with his eyes locked on Younghyun’s.</p><p>The boy had wanted to say ‘no’, to ask his father not to give up like that, he wanted his mother back as much as Daroll wanted her, but he didn’t say anything. He had witnesses the pain his father had gone through, he had felt the worry for the older when he decided to fight the hunters alone and he had lived something similar with Mio to understand there was so much one could stand like that.</p><p>“Father. I will find Mio again and I will keep her. You will find mom again and will keep her. The four of us will live together as a complete family. We have to believe. We have to live for them, for each other and for ourselves. For that a human’s lifetime is not enough, even the longest requiem shall not be enough.” Younghyun replied not wanting to lose hope, wishing his father wouldn’t lose his.</p><p>Daroll smiled. Someday they would. If he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t have embraced Younghyun.</p><p>After the happenings of that night Mio’s name had never been mentioned again, as if all of them had agreed it should be somehow forgotten. Mishra had done her task of protecting Younghyun diligently and got annoyed with him for being such an outstanding learner. Sungmin took roughly thirty years to be able to walk under the sun with the right amount of protection, and that had already been better than Chungyeol’s records, but Younghyun had managed to stand walking under the sun much sooner, just twenty years had been necessary for the newborn to walk around like he owned the sun. Well almost, he still hated the heat and did everything he could to avoid staying directly under the sun.</p><p>“You Dragons should not be! I took freaking two hundred years to be able to walk under the sun! and even now I <em>still</em> feel asleep for about an hour every single day! It’s frustrating to live with you, genius kid that in freaking twenty years managed the sun and a fairly good sleeping routine!” Mishra would nag now and then, but those words only made Younghyun more proud of himself than anything else, well the Gangrel didn’t mean to bring him down anyway.</p><p>An actual change in their requiems happened when for the second time Mishra felt attached to a human being not as some sort of food and it had been far more complicated than what happened with Mio.</p><p>Younghyun had never forgotten Mishra’s vow to stay with them for as long Younghyun needed protection and he never liked the sound of that. Yet as the years passed and he saw how sometimes the Gangrel indeed seemed lonely, he decided to pay her back somehow. He would learn his tiers as fast as he could so he could protect Mishra’s newborns as they would be much more vulnerable than him.</p><p>Daroll had had some similar ideas and had sent countless soul birds in search of some area in the wild Mishra could be able to live safely while creating her own coven. Yet differently from Younghyun’s wish, the oldest vampire was not planning to stay and protect her. On the other hand, Mishra had walked around on her own searching for her safe place and someone worth her care. The human she found was still a kid, he had been given to a nearby temple by his parents as some sort of offering in thanks for the father to be saved from a serious disease by their Gods.</p><p>The kid was called Makoto and he was a really smart boy. From an early age he had been sent to the forest to collect mushrooms and eventually bring home some rabbit or other small animals he could get with simple traps, that’s how the two of them met. Makoto had been carrying a basket already full of mushrooms and had managed to get a rabbit in one of his traps, the boy had the little animal in his arms and Mishra had to snort at seeing him releasing the animal. In a fast move she jumped from where she was hiding and imprisoned the animal startling the boy.</p><p>Without ceremony she morphed into a human and held the rabbit in her arms protectively. “You pitied this poor thing and yet as soon as it was freed from your hands it fell in those of another predator. That’s why humans are weak and strong at the same time, you are too emotional.”</p><p>Makoto had been rendered speechless and had no mind to form a coherent reply but Mishra didn’t need it. “Little boy, would you mind keeping this old fox some company?” she smiled amicably releasing the rabbit. “If you do I could guide you through the forest and protect you from other animals while you go do your tasks.”</p><p>“Are… are you trying to trick me?” he managed to ask shivering with fear.</p><p>Mishra continued to smile as she replied with tinkles in her voice. “If I had wanted you as food, you wouldn’t even have noticed it. I am sincerely seeking some human friends, someone I could care for.”</p><p>Makoto didn’t really believe her but Mishra guaranteed him she would prove him her good intentions by letting him go, but sticking around nevertheless. From then on Makoto would spot the red fox around the temple, whenever the monks got mad over something missing or being misplaced he knew it was the red fox’s fault. The boy started to open up to her when she actually saved him from a bear, he could hardly believe such slender and small fox could have beaten up a bear but he was not up to question, it was not a simple fox but a spirit fox, a Kitsune-san.</p><p>With time Makoto started to talk more with Mishra, get to know her and she got to know him, learn each other’s story though she never really told him she was actually a vampire. Everything was peaceful as the two grew closer.</p><p>One day Mishra told him she actually had a house among the humans, a ryokan<a id="_ftnref1" name="_ftnref1"></a>[1] located at city by the other side of the forest, and she asked if he would like to go live with her there and meet her other friends, the ones that had saved her life and taken her in as part of their family. The boy felt tempted to accept. He liked the life at the temple because he really liked the monks but he didn’t really feel like becoming a monk himself. That was what his family had wanted when they gave him away but they never came back to see him and he knew his family had gone try a better life at a bigger city. Should he leave everything he had behind to follow a Kitusne?</p><p>He deemed that decision worth a try. “You know… I think my parents are living at this city you talk about… I want to see them, can you help me meet them? Maybe after I see them I could really choose if I should come back here or stay with you.” he started one day when they were collecting mushroom deep inside the forest.</p><p>Mishra looked at him with a renewed interest. “One of my friends can tell who your parents are for sure. If they live there, he can find them.” She guaranteed and they spent the next thirty minutes bickering about it just for the fun of it. Makoto saying it was impossible and Mishra swearing her friend could do without any effort. They ended up taking the basket with mushrooms back to the temple but Makoto didn’t stay behind with it like it often happened.</p><p>The Gangrel offered to carry the boy on her back while going through the forest and just slightly contradicted Makoto accepted. He was almost sixteen, it would be a shame if someone spotted him being piggybacked by a naked woman. But then again who would spot them inside the forest?</p><p>Makoto had been amazed when Mishra announced they were entering the ryokan’s property. Daroll had decided to manage that human business for the sake of easy food and a good relationship with the herd. Their ‘humble’ hotel had around twenty bedrooms for the guests and open baths in a natural hot spring. The whole complex practically ended in the forest but no wild animal had ever dared pay a visit inside the property.</p><p>“There’s actually a kimono for you here?” Makoto asked amazed when Mishra let him down to hide her nakedness with awaiting clothes.</p><p>“I can’t really be seen naked around here, Makoto. I do live like a human in here, so I am a perfect lady.” She scolded but the boy jumped in fear when a voice sounded behind them.</p><p>“Lady my ass. You are late to help prepare the dinner for the guests, Onee-san,” The male easily jumped from the tree and inspected the boy sniffing him and staring from head to toe. “Tsk, so this is the kid you had been pampering other than pampering me. Welcome to our humble hotel, Makoto, if you’re not a paying guest you stay here by working.” The male continued with a tone somehow sarcastic and strangely welcoming.</p><p>“Hyun baby stop scaring him. And I pamper you enough.” Mishra said and just to prove her point landed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. “Makoto, this is Satoshi, the youngest among us, ignore him if he gets annoying. Come here, let me acquaintance you to the others and specially Masumi, since he’s the one that can help you.”</p><p>“Oh right ignore my almighty presence, yeah. And, Onee-san, why is Masumi aniki always the one you look up to?” That didn’t really need questioning but Younghyun liked the tease over the special ‘bond’ between the two.</p><p>Makoto had been, to say the least, overwhelmed by Mishra’s family. Each member seemed to have such unique personality. He doubted they had really lived that long together without one wanting to kill the other or something. In the beginning the human kid had felt out of place but soon felt just like part of that family as well. He liked helping out around the ryokan and his specialty in the kitchen had been very well used and praised by the guests.</p><p>Around a week after Makoto started living with them Sungmin came with the news he had found the boy’s family and from afar they spied on them. The human felt sad and happy at the same time at seeing his parents living quite well and for discovering he actually had three younger sisters and an older brother, all of them living like he had never been born.</p><p>The boy was still lost on what to do with his life when a very surprising incident happened, a group of refugees arrived at the city from a smaller village, they said they were hunters and had been out in the forest when their homeland was attacked by some group of robbers that left the village completely destroyed. In fact that had really happened and compassionate with their misfortune Daroll accepted them in his hotel without asking for any pay, so they could somehow overcome that loss and get some place for them in that city.</p><p>The problem was that among those hunters there had been an actual ex-vampire hunter, the young male had been the only survivor of a group and for a few years had stopped drinking vampire vitae, but the memories and the instincts were there and he knew there was something really wrong with a few people working at that traditional hotel.</p><p>Everything he knew about vampires seemed to be wrong, first because vampires don’t walk under the sun, during the day they are always in some sort of slumber, that’s the easiest way to kill them, but those strange people were fine under the sun with one exception, the younger male they call Satoshi, he would always avoid staying under direct sun.</p><p>“Do you need anything Takeshi-san?” Younghyun asked when the guy called for him, the ex-hunter smiled forcedly and the vampire noticed.</p><p>“Actually I would like to ask if I can work here. This place seems to be a good place to live at and despite you having many males and needing more females, I could work hunting for you guys.” He asked wanting to keep close so he could find a good opportunity to discover the truth behind them. Younghyun smiled and replied he would ask his aniki if it could be possible.</p><p>Because the vampire vitae had been long erased from his body, Sungmin couldn’t know about Takeshi’s past, but the vampire could smell something fishy about the guy and all of them had been cautious when his services had been accepted.</p><p>On the other hand Makoto had told Mishra he wanted to go back to the temple, he had enjoyed living with her and the others but he was worried with the monks, he missed them and truthfully he felt like being an ungrateful child for ‘running away’ without a proper goodbye or a reason the monks could at least try to accept. He still had doubts of where he should belong but decided that if it was for him to keep on living with her he wanted to at least give the monks a proper goodbye.</p><p>The Gangrel had been happy with his decision because she could feel he was much more inclined to stay with her than the other way around, therefore she had decided to tell him the whole truth and make sure he really wanted to stay after knowing what they really were. What she really was.</p><p>It was the night prior to the day she would take him back home, she was at the hot springs thinking carefully of where and how she would break the news to the boy, she really wanted to keep him and make him her first coven member. Takeshi was coming back from a hunt when she saw him and the Gangrel thought she could take him as a meal for the day. She tried to lure him to the springs with promises of a deserved hot bath for their particular hunter, Takeshi left the three rabbits he got nearby and undressed to get in the hot springs.</p><p>Out of the people he was suspicious about, Mishra had been the one he was most sure was a vampire because three times a week he would hear she was sleeping after lunch and it was always for a few hours, that sleeping habit was quite strange, he had tried to get into her room in those occasions but there was always someone forcing him away with some excuse or request. If she was really a vampire he had a plan to get some of her blood and hopefully kill her off.</p><p>While scrubbing his back Mishra stated to touch his body in a seducing way and he didn’t fight the caresses, he was even returning them, he turned around not long after and allowed their caresses to go to a level higher as both became bolder, he took a careful hold of her when their lips met in a searing kiss. Mishra usually allowed her senses to focus only in the caresses and the enhancement of her partner’s smell, therefore she was not expecting his move.</p><p>Takeshi bit down at her lips and sucked the blood, Mishra pulled apart with a complain, hoping it had not been enough to expose her. He apologized and started to kiss her neck instead, Mishra had to will her lips not to heal, but it was quite troubling, his caresses distracted her and they healed almost instantly. She had expected him not to notice but he did and that had been her mistake and his confirmation.</p><p>He forced her against the stones of the hot spring positioning himself between her legs, he kept giving her pleasure with his lower body while his hands searched for a weapon. He took hold of a sharp edged stone and slashed Mishra’s shoulder without warning. The Gangrel had been so focused on the pleasure he was giving her that she only noticed what was going on when she felt the wound and his mouth sucking on her blood.</p><p>She managed to push him away with a loud hiss as Takeshi himself revealed what he was. “You, damn bloodsucker shall die!” he growled when he felt the almost forgotten feel of kindred vitae in his system, using his new abilities he rushed to get his dagger and then jump back to fight Mishra who was hissing back at his curses.</p><p>In a moment he was sure his dagger would hit, on the other there was just air in front of him and he felt a bite on his leg, he looked down and felt surprised at seeing a red fox. Without much effort it pulled him, forcing him to lose his balance and hit his back on the ground. In the next second he felt himself flying and then colliding with a tree, he grunted in pain before he felt a hard push on his hair.</p><p>“An actual Hunter, I see. Isamu should have sent you away much sooner, but a hunter with no strength is nothing. You were smart, though. Congratulations on stealing my blood, though it just sentenced you to death.” Mishra sneered forcing Takeshi’s dagger against his throat. She was ready to kill him and feast but Makoto had to call over for her, worried because Daroll was asking for her and it seemed urgent.</p><p>The moment she hesitated, Takeshi managed to reverse their positions, he forced her on the ground face first and was ready to stake her when a shining silver blade was pointed right in front of his face, he looked up to see Younghyun and Sungmin staring down at him with hatred.</p><p>“If you value your life let go of her.” Younghyun sneered but Takeshi only seemed to grow bolder, he lowered his blade at the same time Makoto made it to a point he could see him and Mishra but not Younghyun and Sungmin.</p><p>“Onee-san!” the boy shouted in panic as he saw the two, the dagger and blood. Mishra’s blood.</p><p>Makoto stood there paralyzed, trying to understand what had happened right before his eyes. Takeshi was sitting on Mishra’s back, dagger in hand, he assumed he had seen the guy stab Mishra’s back but after he blinked Takeshi had been pushed against a tree by Younghyun who was holding on to a very beautiful sword at the hunter’s neck, Mishra was in Sungmin’s arms with a deep gash in her arm, she had her eyes closed and her hand trying to stop the blood.</p><p>“Makoto, run! They are not human! They are fooling you, fooling everybody! They are vampires, Makoto! Run or they will kill you!” Takeshi shouted trying to push the boy to accept the truth of what he saw but he felt baffled at what followed.</p><p>Younghyun hissed a “shut up.” at the same time Makoto shouted “Onee-san!” and ran to check on the Gangrel with worry written all over his face and tears of despair he could not conceal.</p><p>“I’m all right, Makoto. It’s not that easy to kill me.” Mishra said as she had stopped breathing for the sake of not attacking the human that was holding on to her in relief.</p><p>“You already enchanted him, you monsters, now this child also has to die.” Takeshi hissed but Younghyun glared at him forcing his blade to slightly cut at the other’s throat.</p><p>“Shut up, you piece of shit, you hunters are the real monsters, you blab about defending the humans but you kill them nevertheless, you hunters are a bunch of hypocrites.”</p><p>Takeshi could see the hatred he felt being shot back at him from Younghyun’s eyes, the youngest vampire was much stronger than him and despite the evident worry with the female vampire and the obvious power he had, the hunter couldn’t understand why he was still alive. Younghyun could have decapitated him before the child had noticed what happened. He had been too sure he could kill the female, but Mishra had skillfully moved her body to the side so his blade perforated her arm and not her back. Sungmin had kicked him hard, throwing him to the side, allowing Younghyun to push him against the tree, all that happened while Makoto blinked in fear. He couldn’t understand why he was still alive, but he would use their strange hesitance to turn the table again.</p><p>“Don’t you dare try anything, if you move an inch, I’ll kill you.” Younghyun warned apparently reading his mind, but Takeshi had just been too obvious with his thoughts.</p><p>The hunter snorted. “Kill me? You don’t seem to have the courage to kill me, otherwise you would have done already.” He challenged but Younghyun just smirked.</p><p>“Contrary of your kind, I do everything in my power not to kill bastards like you in front of innocent humans.” Younghyun replied causing Takeshi to narrow his eyes at him.</p><p>“Why did you try to kill my onee-san?” Makoto suddenly shouted effectively making Takeshi focus on the female vampire again.</p><p>“Be smart, Makoto! She’s a vampire! All of them are vampires you have to help me kill them before they kill the whole city! They are monsters!” Takeshi shouted back trying to get the kid to his side but he ended up glancing back at Younghyun as he felt the blade cutting him slightly deeper, but still not life threatening.</p><p>“They are not!” Makoto retorted, he knew Mishra and her friends were not human, that they were some kind of supernatural beings, but they were not monsters, they were kind and lovable and trusting. They had never hurt anyone and Makoto just shouted that back at the hunter. “If they were monsters they wouldn’t be living here this peacefully for more than five years!”</p><p>“That’s enough, Makoto. Remember I told you there was something I wanted to tell you?” Mishra said forcing the youngster to look at her, the boy didn’t fight her and just stared expecting her to continue talking. “I wanted to tell you that I am not a spirit fox, I am what he says: a vampire. Yet you know this doesn’t make me a monster, I do not kill humans, yes I feed on them, but it’s like you drink water from a river, I take a little but I never stop the flow.”</p><p>The Gangrel looked at the boy in front of her with expectation and felt glad when he didn’t turn around, but actually held her again. “You are no monster, you are my onee-san.” Mishra smiled returning the hold, but then she looked at the hunter with a cold stare.</p><p>“Takeshi, are you confident you can kill me?” she challenged and internally loved the reactions around her. She noticed how both Sungmin and Younghyun stiffened but didn’t tense up like Makoto did in her arms.</p><p>Takeshi dared to smirk before he replied. “I can kill all of you.” He baffled but Mishra knew better.</p><p>“You hunters are used to drink a lot more blood than what you managed to steal from me, what you took is not enough to allow you to kill me. I offer you a deal, I’ll give you more blood and a fair fight, if you win, you at least would have killed one enemy, because certainly you would never be able to win against Younghyun or Sungmin. Do you accept my deal?” Mishra challenged.</p><p>The hunter thought it to be a strange offer but he was too confident in himself, after killing Mishra he could take Makoto and use him as some sort of escape rope so he could come back later, better armed to fight the others. His pride spoke louder than caution.</p><p>“I accept your deal.” He said eyeing Younghyun cautiously. He should have guessed there was something wrong because the vampire released him too easily. Sungmin took hold of Makoto to prevent the boy from interfering and Mishra just got closer too impassive. She made a gash in her wrists and offered the blood. Takeshi drank it while eyeing her. His body felt more at ease, it still craved for vampire blood and he had always wanted more than what he could drink, in fact they believed the more they would drink the stronger they would get.</p><p>When Mishra pulled away Takeshi quickly reached for her throat, taking it in a strong grip, wanting to break her neck with his bare hands. But before he could do so she took hold of his wrists and ordered curtly the best way she could, “Let go.” The hunter felt his whole body tensing up and against his will he let go. “Kneel down and swear you will never fight against me or Daroll’s coven again. You will never break this vow.”</p><p>Both Takeshi and Makoto felt baffled as the hunter obeyed, the words rolled out of his lips still against his will but right after they were spoken, he felt every want to kill them disappear. He stared up at Mishra in disbelief. She smiled.</p><p>“You fooled me to steal my blood, I fooled you to turn you into my personal slave. Whatever I tell you, you will obey unconditionally. Let me teach you something, when a vampire offers you blood and you willingly take it, it seals a contract, you become a half-vampire but lose whatever will power you had. You are mine for as long as I want you.” Mishra explained turning around right after and smiling fondly at Makoto.</p><p>“You, bitch!” Takeshi dared shout his frustration as he saw the human kid hugging protectively the female vampire.</p><p>“Takeshi, my name is Mishra and from now on you’ll always refer to me in respect, you shall obey whatever Daroll asks of you as well as any of his progeny and protégé, you shall protect me and make sure I am safe and sound.” The hunter hated as every word pierced him and his body made those orders his life’s motto.</p><p>“Makoto, why were you looking for me?” Mishra turned back to the human child as he stared in awe what was happening.</p><p>“Isamu-sama wanted to talk to you about tomorrow, he said he needed to talk with you as soon as possible. You were not in your room so I slightly panicked because I couldn’t find you anywhere inside the hotel.”</p><p>Mishra nodded. “Go tell him I will go to him after I feed, you don’t have to worry about me. Tomorrow I’ll take you back to the temple and we can decide what to do after. Think carefully, Makoto, in a sense Daroll is Chungyeol, Sungmin and Younghyun’s father, I wish us to have something similar, I want to make you my son, but it’s your choice. I’ll explain everything tomorrow.” She told him with a soft caring tone and somehow Makoto’s heart turned into a really awesome upbeat melody in her point of view.</p><p>“Let’s go, kid, you seriously don’t want to see your future mom feeding.” Younghyun suddenly stated, pulling Makoto in the direction of the main house, Sungmin following them with a small chuckle at the bright shade of red the boy’s face became. Sungmin still turned to Mishra to shoot her a ‘don’t make me get too jealous’ that just added to Makoto’s embarrassment because he had spotted the two kissing on more than one occasion.</p><p>After they were gone and once again she was alone with Takeshi she smirked down at him. “For the rest of the night you shall make me feel really good, touch me as if you’re touching a long lost lover.” She sat on his lap and kissed him hungrily, he responded just as hungrily, deep down infuriated with the situation. Despite the caresses and strangled sounds both were emitting the hunter still dreaded the moment, he didn’t really know why they were doing such a thing when the vampire just needed to feed. The bite only came with the peak of his pleasure, and he felt in the least surprised that he felt no pain, but instead a craving for that moment not to pass.</p><p>Only after Mishra was fully sated did they disentangle themselves. Takeshi was completely out of breath and he couldn’t remember the last time his body had felt that great. He was slightly dizzy from the blood loss but he knew because Mishra’s blood was in him he would be in the notch of his strength soon enough. He watched as Mishra carelessly walked back to the hot spring to wash up, he followed her because he was too confused.</p><p>“Why am I still alive?” he asked still with anger in his tone, but the vampire didn’t pay attention to it.</p><p>“You were cunning enough to steal my blood, at first I did wish your death but then I thought of something else, a greater punishment for you,” She said not looking at her blood doll but taking a cloth to dry herself, only after she hid her nakedness did she turn to Takeshi. “I’ll make you feel the opposite of everything you felt when you stole my blood. I’ll make you love me and I’ll make you wish to become a vampire.” She said playfully giving him a short kiss.</p><p>“That won’t happen.” He shot back at her.</p><p>Mishra just went back inside the hotel with a very confident. “We’ll see.”</p><p>That night both Makoto and Takeshi couldn’t fall asleep for two completely different reasons. The next day held even more surprises. When Mishra told the others she would be taking Makoto back to the temple, she also ordered Takeshi to come with them. Daroll didn’t appreciate that decision very much but he and his coven hopped Mishra wouldn’t commit a mistake while ordering the guy around, for the amount of hatred the hunter felt for her he could eventually figure out a way to go around her orders and it would be dangerous. Makoto himself didn’t like the fact that Takeshi would go along but he didn’t protest. In fact he ended up helping Mishra with her secret plan towards the hunter.</p><p>When Mishra offered to carry Makoto on her back again so they could travel faster, the boy declined and insisted he wanted to walk. “Tell me the stories again. But, this time, specify the kinds of supernatural you had fought with. I want to know what really really happened.” Mishra smiled down at him and nodded completely ignoring Takeshi who was walking slightly behind them, munching on his anger over his position.</p><p>The vampire took her time to re-tell the stories. She started with the story about how she became a vampire, then moved on to how she met Sungmin for the first time and how he saved her life fighting alone with werewolves, then how they defended his city from them. She ended her story with how Younghyun became a vampire leading her to decide over really creating her own coven following the Daroll style.</p><p>All the while Takeshi had listened carefully, internally snorting at the earlier tales tagging most of what she said as lies, but he couldn’t deny it had been in the least shocking to learn vampires could fall in love and specially with humans. He didn’t want to believe hunters could have done what she was saying, kill a human that had never drank vampire blood for the sake of money, but that allowed him to understand Younghyun’s hatred towards the ‘hunter’ kind. They had killed his mother and destroyed the peaceful and safe life he had been living.</p><p>“Why did you choose me?” Makoto asked then and Mishra silenced thinking about her reply.</p><p>“Because your family gave you as an offering to the Gods,” It was true, Mishra was looking for humans that somehow had faced something similar to her. “I had been sentenced to death with the excuse of being given to the spirits of the forest, as an offering. I got to respect and love my sire. I hoped that if I could make you respect and love me as a friend eventually I could have you beside me as the same kind.”</p><p>There was silence once again and it was only broken when Makoto suddenly rushed to a fallen tree and started on picking up mushrooms, Mishra giggled and followed after him. “Mushrooms for the monks?” she asked crouching down in beside him, he nodded and then stuffed some under her nose.</p><p>“Taste it! You might like it!” he joked but Mishra made a face.</p><p>“I’m picky with food.” She retorted and the two laughed. Takeshi could only stare in disbelief, looking at the two, like that it really seemed they were siblings, even the darker tone of their skins was similar.</p><p>He clenched his fist. He had really fallen for her trap for he was starting to doubt what he knew about vampires. When they finally reached the temple Makoto gave the mushrooms to the monks, heard some of the scolding but bid his goodbye nevertheless. His decision had been taken, he had always craved for a family and even if it was slightly twisted, Mishra was offering him one and he was taking up the offer.</p><p>The boy still lived four more years as a human, learning what there was to know about vampires and the little they knew about werewolves. On the other hand, Takeshi found himself fulfilling Mishra’s punishment. As her blood doll he had been taken inside their circle, had seen how Chungyeol would nag but do whatever his two blood dolls asked of him, Younghyun and Sungmin were just too carefree and easy going in their own way to look like any threat to the humans they fed from and Daroll was just too kind, too concerned with the humans around him for that to be a lie.</p><p>After four years of being Mishra’s blood doll he understood those vampires were something out of normal because countless time he had found himself killing vampires and fighting werewolves that had dared threaten the humans of the city where they were living. If once he had listened carefully to the things Makoto was being taught wishing he could use the information against them, after three years he was using his knowledge to help them and protect Mishra.</p><p>He didn’t want to admit, but he felt bad to think Mishra had given up part of what she was for the sake of living with those vampires, but he felt glad she did, because if not he wouldn’t have met her, he wouldn’t have learned about the other side of the coin.</p><p>It was a cold winter night when the coven stopped in front of a big hidden cave in a set of mountains to the south, a place where the humans didn’t have access. Makoto was already a three months newborn and the atmosphere around the two covens was heavy.</p><p>“I’ll miss you guys,” Mishra said unmistakably emotional, she was holding on to both Sungmin and Younghyun as they whispered back their goodbyes.</p><p>“If you ever think it’s too tough on the three of you please try to get back to us. We will always welcome you, right, dad?” Younghyun said, shortly looking at his father for his approval. Daroll nodded wordlessly.</p><p>“Mishra can deal with things, Younghyun. Don’t be a crybaby.” Chungyeol nagged but his tone was somehow soft. He didn’t go hug her and didn’t say goodbye either but it was clear he would somehow miss her and help if ever she shouted for it. They were allies and he would never turn his back on an ally. Jia did give her a hug, the two had cleared their animosities and the blood doll made sure to leave behind for them a few sets of clothes, they would need if ever they decided to pay the nearby villages a visit. Elena stayed at Chungyeol’s side appearing even more untouched than him, but she gave the gangrel a small nod when their gazes crossed. Only Chungyeol would know her sadness over this goodbye as it would be his arms she’d cuddle into the next time they’d have a free moment to do so.</p><p>“Mishra, if you ever need to contact us throw this origami in the spiritual fire I lit up for you and say your message, an ethereal bird will hear it and come deliver it to me without fail.” Daroll said giving Mishra a set of fifteen tsurus.</p><p>Mishra smiled bowing to the eldest. “What if I run out of it?” she teased but Daroll gave her one of his signature caring smiles.</p><p>“I’ll just make more and send it to you via souls.” She smiled and nodded.</p><p>Makoto got his share of pampers and goodbyes as well before Daroll’s coven turned to Takeshi. Sungmin had been the last member of Daroll’s coven to leave, eyeing Takeshi seriously. “If you don’t take good care of her I’ll come and kill you, then Younghyun will find a way to obliterate your soul, don’t doubt it.” he threatened.</p><p>The once ex-hunter just tightened his hold on Mishra. “I’ll give my requiem for the safeness of my sire. You don’t doubt it.”</p><p>Sungmin smirked giving a back wave and joining his coven on their way back to the Socheon and then further north into Gunzou Country. They were sure they wouldn’t miss those requiems too much, even if from then on they would play far away from them.</p><p><a id="_ftn1" name="_ftn1"></a>[1] Traditional Nishinariese hotel.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Nishinarian names:<br/>Younghyun - Satoshi<br/>Sungmin - Masumi<br/>Daroll - Isamu</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Zesde Lied – The Sixth Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a while it felt strange not to have Mishra around, even though Younghyun obviously missed her, it was Sungmin the one most affected since he practically had nothing else to fill his time with. Jia and Elena spent their time as usual – pampering Chungyeol and working on clothes for both the coven and to be sold, Chungyeol spent his time divided between his blood dolls and his sire, mostly with being Daroll’s assistant whenever they would deal with human business. Sungmin decided that the life of a cat was not that much interesting so he put all his effort into fully mastering the ability to manipulate humans, being it through illusions, lies or his plain will over theirs. The youngest decided over adding more culture to his days, Younghyun had always felt attracted to music so he took his time to learn every instrument possible.</p><p>Somehow the coven fell distant from each other but still uncommonly united. Even though Younghyun spent most of his days in the music room, mostly focusing his attention on the instrument he was currently learning, he still trained his senses to acknowledge all the simple acts done by the inhabitants of his house. He somehow found music in their routine. Early every morning the women of the house would start on the breakfast and the air would be filled with the sounds from the kitchen, washing, cutting and frying, each sound very clear, later a few others would start on cleaning and washing clothes. The men of the house would go take care of the horses or do the jobs requiring more strength. The kids would wander around trying to help or trying to escape the jobs, they were always very lively, especially when Chungyeol or Sungmin would decide they should make use of their time to do some exercise in human speed.</p><p>The big chatter would start when the family reunited for breakfast and after that the servants would have to clean up and go prepare for lunch. Most of the kids would then play around the garden, pretend they were sword masters just like their masters Chungyeol and Sungmin. Younghyun would always play his instruments with a smile as he overheard the kids giggling and threatening each other with false promises. It had been when he was practically considering himself master of the flute when the sound of a certain heart captured his attention.</p><p>It had always been a calm and stead beat even though it was a child’s heart. Younghyun hadn’t really paid much attention to it until he actually noticed the beatings were getting closer and closer to the point the child had taken a seat right outside his music room, in a very hidden corner, as he kept on listening to Younghyun playing.</p><p>That small melody was something that had added itself to his routine and he found himself wondering why that boy would do that, sneakily sit outside almost right after Younghyun had locked himself in and leave the moment Younghyun would stop playing and was in the process of putting away his flute. His curiosity got the better of him one day. The boy had just sat in his supposedly hidden spot when Younghyun suddenly stopped playing and opened the door, his eyes easily finding those of the scared boy.</p><p>“Li-Xuan, why are you sitting there?” Younghyun asked with a serious tone that easily terrified the boy who was holding on to a cloth and promptly started ‘cleaning the floor’.</p><p>“I’m just helping my mom, young master.” The boy tried to lie causing Younghyun to snort.</p><p>“Of course, you come and clean that corner every single day for the whole morning. I’m giving you one more chance, Li-Xuan: why are you sitting there?” the vampire asked again, still with the same serious tone. The boy looked at him even more terrified, he was trying to come up with another lie when Younghyun prompted with a stern ‘the truth, Li-Xuan’.</p><p>To that the kid gave up and obeyed. “I like to hear young master playing. The music is beautiful though it’s always sad.” He said averting his eyes to the floor and knelling down awaiting for his punishment.</p><p>Younghyun smiled though. “You are the only child in this house to show some interest in music. Would you like to learn how to play?” the vampire asked with a soft tone then, pleased to know he could move humans with his songs. On the other hand, the boy looked up surprised and could hardly believe the smile his young master was giving him. The chubby boy smiled back, blushing slightly because his master was granting him something he could have never dreamt about.</p><p>“Can I?” the boy asked slightly dazed with a way too hopeful tone that had Younghyun chuckling.</p><p>“I’ll teach you myself,” Younghyun assured reaching a hand for the child. “Let’s go to a first lesson, Li-Xuan?” the vampire added, but the child still surprised him by standing up and giving the young master a hug.</p><p>“Thank you, young master!” the boy cheered but then seemed to realize what he was doing so he let go and started to apologize.</p><p>Younghyun just chuckled again. “It’s not young master anymore, Li-Xuan, now it’s Qiang-Yang Laoshi.” The vampire half joked causing the boy to smile relived.</p><p>The two spent the rest of the day in the music room with Younghyun teaching the boy the whatnots about the flute, and for the following days they spent their mornings in the same fashion. The other vampires didn’t bother much with Younghyun taking the kid under his wings like that, Daroll had asked why but didn’t forbid his youngest progeny from anything. The problem was in Li-Xuan’s parents, the servants were afraid for their kid and, more often than not, pleaded Younghyun to stop making their son waste time with noble activities, but the vampire paid them no attention and even used his vampiric abilities onto the humans so they would stop to bother the two.</p><p>Li-Xuan on the other hand, even though he had feared when his parents had shown their disapproval, was more than happy to continue learning, even though he couldn’t understand why suddenly his parents stopped meddling, he felt like giving more and more of his time to learn music especially because when the other kids noticed how the young masters favored him, excusing him from chores and allowing him to accompany them in a few dinners, they started to shun the boy.</p><p>Younghyun didn’t think much about the other kids’ behavior basically because he believed that he could control them and prevent Li-Xuan from suffering in their hands. Yet he was not always aware how the other kids started playing pranks on Li-Xuan, started to abuse the boy verbally with insults, all because he didn’t want his laoshi to know or punish the other kids. Li-Xuan suffered alone for as long as he could.</p><p>One afternoon, a few years after Younghyun extended his wings over the human kid, Daroll informed his progeny they had been invited to watch the Opera. The fact alone was a great honor, but Younghyun decided on a bold move: he went to Jia and asked the blood doll to prepare a set of fine clothes for Li-Xuan because the human kid would attend the opera with them.</p><p>The then fourteen years old Li-Xuan had felt ecstatic to be allowed to watch something meant only for the nobles and royalty, that had been the greatest event of his life and Younghyun found himself smiling widely every time he looked at the human. The vampire thought about himself at that age and how Daroll had made him feel that blessed, he felt good for influencing such emotions in a human.</p><p>Yet the jealousy the other kids felt only kept on growing and Li-Xuan found himself unable to stand the way he was being treated by them, he felt bad for receiving so many good things while they only kept getting more and more chores to do. He understood their reasoning but he didn’t want to give up all his Qiang-Yang Laoshi was giving him.</p><p>In fact it had not been Younghyun to force the other boys to stop bullying Li-Xuan it was young master Su-Min. it was a cold night and the older boys had lit up a fire in the servants’ yard as to have some warmer night. Li-Xuan had tried to sit with them but the other boys started to mock him, asking why he was not cuddling up with his beloved laoshi.</p><p>That night a few nobles were visiting them to discuss an arranged marriage between the younger master and a noble daughter but they had already overheard the proposal was being rejected because Qiang-Yang had no interest in marrying. The fact ran wild around the servants and they started to believe the young master was interested in boys and had in Li-Xuan his way to find easy pleasure, that’s why he had not married yet and they even implied that other than learn how to play instruments the young master was using Li-Xuan for other naughty activities, if not Li-Xuan wouldn’t have lost weight and become such a slim figure.</p><p>The human had felt flustered and vehemently tried to defend himself and Younghyun from those nasty accusations, his actions only led the boys to tease even more by saying that if it was not true he wouldn’t be so worked up. When questioned why he had been favored so much he could not answer, the fact that he likes music was a weak statement and even himself felt it was not just that.</p><p>Young master Su-Min had been the one putting an end to that conversation. Nobody noticed when he got close but the silence was absolute after his firm words. “Keep talking bullshit about my brother and I’ll make sure you’ll live even lower than a slave. If I hear any of you badmouthing my brother or bullying Li-Xuan again I’ll make you regret it.”</p><p>All young servants looked at Sungmin with fear written all over their faces, including Li-Xuan. “If I hear any of you speaking ill of Qiang-Yang again you’ll know what will happen to you, if I see you in any way bullying Li-Xuan again, I’ll personally use you to my pleasure and will make sure you won’t feel any of it back,” The youngsters cowered and just bowed at their master in pure contradiction and hating the situation even more. “If you go against my words I will know. Just keep that in mind,” The vampire threatened before his gaze softened as they rested on Li-Xuan. “I came here to tell you Jia-Hao wants to speak with you, something about him wanting you to accompany him on his shopping stroll, so no classes with Qiang-Yang tomorrow.”</p><p>The vampire ordered and the boy bowed before following with his head low and a small insecure smile. Young master Su-Min was really kind and lovable, sometimes he acted in a way too cute manner but he could be extremely scary and dangerous.</p><p>During his sixteenth summer Li-Xuan found himself edgy because of a humor. A few servants overheard master Yi-Jun telling young master Zi-Hao they should move to Socheon - their original homeland – and take with them the least possible. Younghyun noticed how Li-Xuan was lacking attention during the music lesson so he confronted the boy.</p><p>“Li-Xuan, what is worrying you? You usually focus more than this.” Younghyun enquired slightly starling Li-Xuan who bowed in apologize before replying frankly as his master always asked him to be.</p><p>“People had always told me that one day my lucky star would cease to shine. That I’ve been just playing around and that I am still a child who doesn’t know a thing about how cruel the world is. They keep on telling me one day I will have to grow up even if forcefully. I guess this time is coming and I am not sure I will be able to take it.” Li-Xuan’s tone was sad and resigned.</p><p>Younghyun smiled putting aside his instrument and sitting more comfortably on his chair. Those words had only sounded to him as the human kid saying he didn't want to part, that he didn't want to be left behind. “I guess someone overheard we’re planning to move back to our homeland.” The vampire’s tone was serene, almost impassive. Li-Xuan lowered his head because his fear had been confirmed. His masters would leave and his future master, whoever it would be wouldn’t favor him like Younghyun did, he would have to accept his servant existence fully or he wouldn’t be able to live.</p><p>“Li-Xuan,” Younghyun probed and the boy looked up staring right back at his master, he didn’t dare do that with anyone else of his masters even if they were just as amicable as Younghyun was towards him. “I’ve been discussing a few things with Yi-Jun ge, I’ll have to take care of part of our business after we move and I would need an assistant I could trust to help me out. I had not been really truthful about the reason why I started to teach you how to write and read, but I am glad you accepted my lie. In truth I started to teach you because I want to take you with me, because I trust you.” Younghyun continued explaining, causing Li-Xuan to look at him with a surprised expression.</p><p>He really didn’t buy it when Younghyun said a few years back that Li-Xuan had to know how to read and write to be able to play the instruments but he didn’t really fight those words because otherwise he would never get a chance to learn. It made Li-Xuan remember something unpleasant and he felt anxious. He didn’t know why young master Qiang-Yang favored him so much.</p><p>Remembering that night he had been probed by the other boys had caused him to think further on the situation, if he was to be gone, his parents would have no-one to turn to, he couldn’t become an un-filial son.</p><p>“I can’t leave my parents…” Li-Xuan replied weakly and Younghyun messed his hair.</p><p> “Who said anything about leaving them? I’ll teach you how to speak, read and write and you help them adjust to the new land.” The vampire replied gaining from the youngster a warm smile and a deep bow.</p><p>“Thank you, Qiang-Yang Laoshi.”</p><p>That very moment Younghyun called over Li-Xuan’s parents to discuss about the moving, if he had to take those humans along to have the human kid, he would help the whole family. Yet just as he expected his parents refused to leave, they claimed to be too old to learn a whole new dialect and adjust somewhere far away, they were not even sure they could make it through the travel so they blessed their young master and pleaded him to keep on taking such good care of their kid, Li-Xuan didn’t have siblings but those humans acknowledged it would be selfish not to let their son strike for something greater.</p><p>The human kid felt torn between the two options but he agreed with the vampire that he would learn and if by the time his masters decided to leave he would decide if he would go along or not.</p><p>It was an extremely hard decision to make, but at one point Li-Xuan found himself in front of his choice three years later. It was summer but differently from other years, that one had been the worst of his life, the air was extremely dry and more often than not people heard about houses burning because of heat. Li-Xuan’s father fell ill along with many of the other servants. While diligently taking care of his father, Li-Xuan also fell ill. Daroll called doctors over with Jia and Elena helping to take care of the sick people, Younghyun was edgy as if he knew something bad would happen.</p><p>It was a clear and way too warm night, Younghyun hated summer and was hating that one the most in particular. He tried to force himself to forget about how uncomfortable he was feeling, because of the heat, by hearing the few still awake humans moving around the house. The smell hit him first and then the shouts. The house was burning. The area where the sick servants were being taken care was in flames.</p><p>Younghyun shot up from his bed and rushed to that part of the house, a few panicked servants were trying to aid a few sick people out and others were trying to throw water on the flames. Li-Xuan’s mother shouted in panic for her husband and son because the room they were in was all in flames. Younghyun didn’t think much. He grabbed the nearby bucket of water and splashed it on himself, without caring one bit for his safety he threw himself in the flames using his simple mantle as protection.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol had not taken notice of the younger's doing because they had arrived way too late to keep Younghyun from being that foolish, with a heavy heart the two oldest vampires tried to help the humans as they kept on listening and smelling to make sure Younghyun would not die, he couldn’t die.</p><p>The youngest vampire made it to Li-Xuan’s room with some difficulty, his hair was already burning, his skin was bright red from the heat and his eyes and fangs were showing his true identity for anyone to see. “Li-Xuan!” He called in despair but sighed in relief when the scared boy looked at him from where he was all over his father.</p><p>Li-Xuan had been foolishly trying to protect his father with his own body and the moment he heard his Qiang-Yang Laoshi calling for him from so close he felt like he had already been saved, but the moment he turned to look at Younghyun he didn’t see his kind master, he saw a monster in human shape and terrified he could say nothing, he could do nothing. When he saw that creature sprinting in his direction he believed he was already dead and his father would follow soon after.</p><p>Li-Xuan heard the breaking sounds from the wooden roof, he felt like he had stopped breathing when the burning heavy piece of wood fell on Younghyun’s shoulder and the vampire hissed in pain. The human looked up hesitantly and frowned at the amount of pain on Younghyun’s face, the vampire had his hands on the wall, the only wall that was still not burning, and it was clear both Li-Xuan and his father had been protected from the falling pieces of burning woods. Why would a monster do such a thing? But then again why would a monster teach him how to play instruments? Would teach him how to read and write? Would give him a chance to learn things he could have never imagined?</p><p>Younghyun opened his blood red eyes and painfully looked down at Li-Xuan. The next moment the vampire had crouched down in front of the still terrified human. “I’ll take you out. Climb on my back and I’ll take you out.” Younghyun ordered loudly with impatience, trying his best to suppress the immense pain he was feeling on his back.</p><p>Li-Xuan stared at the gash of burned and ripped clothes as well as damaged skin, no way he could climb on that back. Annoyed with Li-Xuan’s stillness Younghyun firmly grabbed the boy’s wrist and forced him onto his back, he whimpered at the burning pain but tried his best to ignore it for the sake of saving those two humans.</p><p>Without another option and fairly surprised by Younghyun’s action Li-Xuan ended up holding on to the vampire’s neck. “Wrap your legs too and hold on with everything you’ve got.” Younghyun ordered again and Li-Xuan obeyed, his heart breaking because he could feel the pain emanating from the bloodsucker in front of him.</p><p>Yet he was rendered speechless again after wrapping his legs around Younghyun’s waist, because with a small grunt Younghyun lifted Li_Xu’s unconscious father and then with a louder grunt broke the wall and rushed outside in a speed the human kid could never imagine.</p><p>A few meters away from the burning house Younghyun fell on his knees with another hiss. He put Li-Xuan’s father on the ground as gently as he could – which was not much – and hissed for the boy to let go. Li-Xuan unwrapped his legs yes but did not unwrap his arms, the human was shaking, was crying and his heart was beating too wildly for him to obey. Weakly Younghyun reached for Li-Xuan’s arms to pry them off. “Let me go now!” Younghyun snarled because he was almost losing the last bit of cool he still had. Yet the human just held on even more.</p><p>“Damn it, Li-Xuan, let go!” Younghyun shouted again because even though he wanted to force Li-Xuan away he had no control of his strength, he feared he would end up hurting Li-Xuan if he tried anything. But the human shook his head firmly rubbing his face on Younghyun’s shoulder.</p><p>“A life for a life.” Li-Xuan mumbled between his sobs moving his right hand from around Younghyun to place his wrist on the bloodsuckers mouth. “You… you need it… take it…”. The vampire grumbled a firm ‘no’ but the human wouldn’t take it. “You… gave me so much… let me give you something too… Quiang-Yang… Laoshi.” Li-Xuan kept on sobbing and Younghyun broke, he sank his canines on the vulnerable skin and drank the human’s blood.</p><p>Younghyun didn’t want that. Didn’t want for Li-Xuan to find out like that, he didn’t want the boy to act like that, he wished with all his might while feeding, for the human to forget what he saw, to forget what he was, to think all that happened had just been a dream. Li-Xuan fell unconscious on his shoulder not long after. The last thing the human heard was his young master Su-Min exasperatedly shouting at Younghyun that ‘Kindreds were not meant to willingly jump into something burning.’</p><p>Li-Xuan woke up some two days later believing he had had the strangest dream of all. He remembered clearly everything about the fire until the point he heard Younghyun shouting for him. From then on everything was fuzzy and confusing. He remembered flashes of bloody red eyes and sharp fangs but for a reason or another he couldn’t relate those to Younghyun.</p><p>His mother had clung to him so tightly and crying so much it was painful, the first thing he did was ask about his father and he felt relieved to hear he was alive and had woken up a few hours before Li-Xuan.</p><p>The human kid had been forced to stay in bed, being taken care and fussed over by his mother and the closest servants to his family. But what he felt strange was that for the following two days there were no visits from his favorite young master. On the third day he shyly asked how he had been saved from the fire and his mother sadly cradled him.</p><p>“Young master Qiang-Yang threw a bucket of water on himself and jumped into the house, he managed to get to you. He broke the weakened wall and got you out with the help of young master Su-Min. they both saved you and your father, but since young master Qiang-Yang had been in the fire he was burnt quite badly. Young master Su-Min had tried to get in from the side that was not badly burning so he was not hurt.” His mother started to explain but she was interrupted when said young master walked in with master Yi-Jun.</p><p>“Li-Xuan, how are you?” Daroll greeted surprising both his servants.</p><p>Ashamed the human boy bowed resting his head on the floor before replying shyly. “Getting better, master Yi-Jun.”</p><p>The vampire smiled satisfied. “We do not want to force you but we need to know why only half of the room was on fire.” Daroll probed because they had been extremely cautious not to let their house burn because of the weather.</p><p>“There were two buckets of water in the room… I… I was sleeping and woke up because of the heat and the smoke… I used those on the walls behind us and around to where I was… I tried to stop the fire with the blankets but I was too weak… I got dizzy so I tried to wake my dad… he wouldn’t open his eyes and I panicked and then…” he tried to explain speaking too fast, his tone laced with so much fear and agony for the images playing in his head were so terrifying, before Younghyun had entered the room, at the actual moment, he had not felt that terrified but the mere memory made him shiver, want to crawl into a ball and cry his despair away.</p><p>“That’s enough,” Daroll spoke gently, getting closer and beckoning the youngster to look at him. “So you don’t know how the fire started?” he asked softly and Li-Xuan shook his head. He had a guess on how it started but he couldn’t say it. Before he fell asleep Bu-Po brought him some food and the lantern to light at night. The young male had been very rude, he practically threw the lantern on the floor and then the food over Li-Xuan, all because Li-Xuan’s father was already asleep. When questioned why he was doing such a thing Bu-Po snarled at Li-Xuan saying he overheard about their masters taking him with them. The other boy was jealous and furious because he had done so much to be noticed as well but none of their masters would look at him, they would all only pamper the good for nothing Li-Xuan.</p><p>Yet unknown to the human, he didn’t know he didn’t have to answer for Daroll to know what had happened, that when Li-Xuan’s mother came later to light up the lantern the boy had already fallen asleep so she had no means to know it had been damaged, that it would end up burning and therefore setting the room and the other’s nearby on fire. Even though Bu-Po’s jealousy had been the cause of all that, everything had been a terrible accident.</p><p>Daroll sighed and motioned to leave the room. “Rest well, Li-Xuan.” He greeted in farewell and Sungmin promptly moved to follow. But shyly Li-Xuan called for him and respectfully thanked for helping save his father, though some part of him felt strange for doing that.</p><p>“I couldn’t let you die,” Sungmin replied and Li-Xuan felt his heart constrict. He wanted to ask about Younghyun but couldn’t force the words out, Sungmin though seemed to understand what the boy was struggling with, so he said cheerfully while exiting the room. “Qiang-Yang will be all right. He already took his medicine and will get better real soon. Just focus on getting better yourself.”</p><p>Somehow those words made Li-Xuan feel relieved and at the same time anxious. He wanted to see his laoshi, but while he was still sick he couldn’t afford to leave that room.</p><p>The following weeks didn’t really register for the human kid, the first big event was surely the call for him and his parents to go to young master Qiang-Yang’s room. The three humans left what they were working with to attend the call. The moment the door was opened his parents immediately kneeled and bowed while Li-Xuan remained standing, another proof of how different he acted from the other servants around their masters. Yet it didn’t really register in the boy’s head, what did register was how short Younghyun’s hair was, his young master was barely bald, along with the mask covering the upper half of his head and the gloves hiding his hands. The summer heat was still strong and Li-Xuan knew how his laoshi hated heat, those extra garments were probably making Younghyun’s days even harder to deal with, not to mention that if those meant where Younghyun had been gravelly burnt then, he probably wouldn’t be able to play instruments. Li-Xuan felt he had caused that, that it had been his fault.</p><p>“Please stand comfortably,” Younghyun turned to his servants and smiled at them, even more when without hesitance the couple obeyed him. He studied their faces and nodded half expecting their answers to his next words. “I called you here because I wanted to be the one to tell you. We’re leaving back to the Socheon in two weeks and I still want to take Li-Xuan with me.” His tone was serene, laced with expectation because he wanted the least of pain if a separation was to happen.</p><p>Li-Xuan’s father bowed and replied with what he hopped was answer enough. “We hope our son will be of help to you, young master,” Li-Xuan hesitantly reached for his father but before he could say anything the old man continued, because he sensed his son’s feelings. “We know you’ve always meant good to our son, we can’t understand what made our Li-Xuan so special to you, but we know he will be safe with you. We also know you were willing to take us as well, but as we said when young master first raised the topic, we are too old. We lived our lives, Li-Xuan has to live his and we accept it is by your side as your hands.”</p><p>The young man averted his eyes to the floor, he was in too big a turmoil but he knew what he was to do, he knew he was supposed to go with Younghyun.</p><p>“I understand you feel responsible for these,” Younghyun indicated his mask and gloves. “But they are just mere protection while I heal completely, I did what I knew was the right thing to do. I also know Li-Xuan is extremely reluctant in leaving you behind because he wouldn’t know what your next master would do to you. To peace him I have a deal to make: Li-Xuan comes with me and I provide you with land and a house, a place for you to be your own masters and live the rest of your days in peace.”</p><p>The three servants stared at Younghyun in disbelief. They had never heard about masters as kind as those, never thought one day they would be graced like that. Li-Xuan and his mother were overwhelmed by their own emotions. There was nothing they could say against that or to thank that kind soul in front of them. They still manage to converse more about the deal and everything was pretty much accepted, just one thing was missing but that only Li-Xuan would be allowed to know.</p><p>“I’d like to talk alone with Li-Xuan now, he will be the one to accept the deal or not.” Needless to say the old humans were left slightly confused as to why their young master would still believe the youngster wouldn’t want to go, but they said nothing and left the two alone.</p><p>“Laoshi…” the boy started but Younghyun raised a hand in sing for him to stop.</p><p>“Just listen to me.” Younghyun said and ever so slowly started to take off his gloves. The uncertain expression in Li-Xuan’s face soon turned to one of surprise and disbelief, his eyes were glued to the flawless pale hands of his master, there were absolutely no marks of burns anywhere. His eyes still followed the hands while they untied the mask revealing Younghyun also had no scars on his face. It was impossible, he had heard some servants had seen the badly burnt hands and face.</p><p>“Li-Xuan, this is who I am, and I hope you’ll still accept to stay by me.” The human could hardly hear what his laoshi had said, because his eyes locked with the blood red ones of the other, the partial memories he had of the fire came back to him and he stumbled backwards, fear and doubt written all over his face.</p><p>"Li-Xuan..." Younghyun called somewhat weakly. The name also didn't reach the boy anymore as he stared at the other still, memories of the monster in the fire coming together with memories of the kind laoshi that taught him how to play the Ruan<a id="_ftnref1" name="_ftnref1"></a>[1] among other things. He stared at the elder still, confusion now settling where fear had been but he still didn't move closer nor spoke.</p><p>Younghyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Li-Xuan, I want you to know everything about who I am, but if you don't want to learn I will accept, it's your choice to stay or come with me." the vampire spoke softly knowing how mind blowing that moment was, but if it was for the boy to keep living with him he had to know everything.</p><p>The human didn't know what to answer to that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to learn everything about what the other had just shown him. In fact, most of his instincts told him to go back to his room and hope it went away quickly. But before he could voice any of that, he heard himself say "Of course I will come with you."</p><p>The vampire could sense the struggle within the kid and he had to make sure Li-Xuan understood the seriousness of his reply. "Why would you come with me? Would really serve a bloodsucker?"</p><p>Without hesitation the boy started to nod. "I have done so for the past years already." he stated with a still unsure voice, the distance being maintained regardless.</p><p>Younghyun reached a hand for Li-Xuan. "You've served someone you thought was human, are you confident you can serve someone that you know is not?"</p><p>Even the harmlessly outstretched hand had the boy tremble in his attempt not to back away from it, but with lips pressed together tightly, he still nodded, his eyes now focused on the pale, unharmed hand.</p><p>Younghyun shook his head. "You are not. You are afraid of me. Humans are not supposed to know about our existence, the same way I made you forget what you saw during the fire, I can make you forget this talk. We tell them you decided not to leave your parents and you can go. I'll make sure you won't serve anyone anymore." Younghyun said retracting his hand and proceeding to tie back his mask, his eyes turning back to soft brown.</p><p>For a moment longer the human stayed in his frozen position, but then he shook his head and bolted, setting for the door to get away from the shaking truth.</p><p>Younghyun sat on his bed dejected, he had once again lost someone he had willed to protect. Nevertheless before Li-Xuan could see anyone else, Sungmin blocked his way with a smile, holding the boy by the shoulder and forcing their eyes to lock. "Forget what Qiang-Yang told you and showed you about bloodsuckers, if that's what your heart wants to, if you don't forget, don't talk about it to anyone."</p><p>The young man shivered at the touch, apparently having figured out the little side note that Su-Min as well probably was one of these 'bloodsuckers', as the sudden impulse to look his young master in the eyes disappeared, Li-Xuan moved his eyes to the other's arm quickly before bowing his head lightly. He then pulled himself free, moving away from that young master as well to find a secluded spot.</p><p>For a whole week Li-Xuan abandoned his usual duties. His mother apologized for it in his stead stating he did not feel well and stayed in the servants' quarters so as to not infect his masters. Day by day passed and the boy didn't do much more than spending time with his parents and thinking, a whole lot of the latter part. Yet several days after the life changing encounter with his laoshi, Li-Xuan showed up again for his music lesson, diligently on his way to Younghyun. He had asked around to know where his laoshi was and now approached him with an unsure smile and a hesitant bow, but there was no sign of fear left in his mannerism.</p><p>Younghyun smiled at seeing Li-Xuan, so he motioned the human closer. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Li-Xuan, come closer and play for me, these gloves are still too much in the way." the vampire said, still playing the recovering human, but his tone was strangely detached.</p><p>The boy stepped inside, closing the door of the room behind him before walking up to his master. "You don't need them," he stated softly but he still took in his usual position and started to play a soft melody. He was silent for a while before speaking again, still softly. "My parents... They will be fine, yes?"</p><p>Younghyun stared at the human for a moment and then smiled. "I Promise you to give them whatever they need to live peacefully the rest of their lives." the vampire replied as softly, closing his eyes and enjoying the melody.</p><p>Another silence ensued which was filled solely by the soft melody, until the boy spoke again. "You have not done anything bad to me, you've only helped me. I am indebted to you." His eyes wandered up to the other for a moment before going back to his fingers to see what he was doing. "I owe you my life as well as my father's, there is no reason I would not remain by your side."</p><p>"Would you give up being a human to stay with me?" Younghyun dared. "The only thing I want to own is your trust, Li-Xuan."</p><p>The melody stopped then and the boy looked at the floor for a moment before lifting his head and looking back up at the other. "If not for you I would have been dead. Not only because of the fire. I was not made for this life, I am not strong enough for it. You have given me everything I have now, I have no reason not to trust you. If it is something else you wish me to be then I will be that."</p><p>"You are to be what I want in one week. Tell your parents to prepare themselves, they are going with us part of the way, to a place they are not known and where they can start their new life in peace. For now you still have to improve with the Ruan, it's still not good enough." Younghyun replied closing his eyes again, pleased with Li-Xuan's words.</p><p>The following week was filled with preparations to leave. Li-Xuan’s parents agreed with Younghyun that not only them would get the new place to live, but Li-Xuan’s aunt, her husband and their two daughters would go with them as a whole family. That fact helped build the youngster’s confidence about his parents living a stable life, all because he knew his cousins wouldn’t just abandon them to the fates.</p><p>The other servants were sent to new masters and thus the once lively house became empty, awaiting for new nobles to reside in there. The caravan left to the east overcoming a three days path in that direction and then headed south. They only stopped at a community of small farmers and spent a few months there to help the human family settle.</p><p>The day the coven finally parted, Li-Xuan was given a small red bottle. The human stared at it curiously, Younghyun smiled slightly before explaining what that was. "That's my blood, Li-Xuan. You said you would be whatever I wanted you to be and by drinking this you are sealing this agreement of staying with me for as long as you feel like staying."</p><p>Despite the trust the human boy had presented in the other's company, Li Xu still made a face at the mention that he was supposed to drink Younghyun's blood. Yet by the time the elder finished, he shrugged lightly and nodded. "Alright." He opened the bottle still with a hint of hesitance but then drank its contents, swallowing after and making another face before puffing his cheeks lightly. "Okay, that wasn't too bad."</p><p>Chungyeol heartily laughed at the boy's last comment. "Just know that our blood is addicting, there's a chance you might sneak into Younghyun's room and force the blood out of him," the second oldest joked patting Younghyun's shoulder. "You surely get used to it, Jihoon." he added before forcing his horse to gallop ahead.</p><p>"What does that mean?" the human asked with a slight frown, turning to Younghyun with a questioning expression. "Ro..Ri.. What?"</p><p>Younghyun sighed but it was actually Sungmin who replied the confused human. "Jihoon. We are moving to the southeast so Chungyeol hyung is re-naming you just like he did with me. We won't be known by the names you know anymore." after saying that he pointed at himself and spoke, specially the names, slowly. "My name is Sung-min. When I was human I was called Vin-cent."</p><p>"Sungmin..." Li-Xuan repeated with the small frown still present. "I don't think I will remember that other one, is that okay young master Su-Min?"</p><p>Sungmin smiled lazily. "That's okay. You will have a long time to get used with names and what-nots," Younghyun said as he nodded to himself before speaking again. "From now on you can stop calling me laoshi, 'hyung' is a better term. It’s the same as calling me Qiang-Yang ge. So you shall drop the young master as well, from now on you are also a young master. Understood?"</p><p>"Me?" Li-Xuan stated dumbfounded, pointing a finger at himself with a very doubtful expression. "I can't be one of you, I serve you."</p><p>"You still don't understand your position, Li-" Daroll approached them but was interrupted by Chungyeol shouting from ahead, where he was with Elena, that the boy was now 'Jihoon'. He therefore shook his head and corrected himself. "Jihoon. The moment you accepted to come with us and the moment you drank Younghyun's blood you became much more than just a servant or a slave, you are now part of my coven, a member of this family." His words were soft, and spoken as if the human kid was indeed part of his family.</p><p>The human shook his head, frowning deeper and coming to a complete stop. "I.. I do not understand." was all he managed to say but his inability to grasp that he could be of the same value as the others around him was visible on his face.</p><p>Sungmin messed his hair. "I know it's hard to accept such a change. I was something below you, I was a slave. While I was still human I became the right hand of my emperor, until I was betrayed and Daroll hyung turned me into a vampire. None of us here had been born nobles... well except Younghyun, he had always been spoiled." the vampire suddenly laughed and Younghyun whined in protest over that statement.</p><p>Li-Xuan, however, still had a doubtful expression on his face, the frown not having left his expression. "It's.. Not possible." he muttered, obviously unable to grasp it.</p><p>Younghyun sighed. "Small minded humans, they do brainwash themselves." after saying that, he turned to his new blood doll and ordered. "Give Yi-Jun a kiss on the cheek and call him grandfather."</p><p>After hearing that order everybody in the coven laughed, everybody but Li-Xuan who frowned even more and then moved over to Daroll to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I am so sorry," he already muttered the moment he moved away, yet after that came the unexpected "Grandfather" that he had been ordered to say and his eyes widened in terror for having used such a word for the still young man.</p><p>Everybody laughed even more. Jia approached the terrified human and hooked an arm around his neck. "It's mortifying, I know. I had been the first to be forced to do it, but it doesn't make this less true."</p><p>On the other hand Daroll took hold of Li-Xuan's face with soft hands. “In a vampire sense I am Younghyun's father, Sungmin and Chungyeol are my sons too. You became Younghyun's blood doll and that, at least in this coven, makes you my grandson. This is how we treat each other: as a family. You are part of it, so don't be afraid."</p><p>The boy obviously decided to leave that discussion aside because his previous masters treating him like one of their own was too much for him to take. Instead he focused on something that, although hardly understandable, so far seemed less of a mystery to him. "Why did I kiss master Yi-Jun when I did not want to do that?" he inquired softly from the tall man to his side whom he had gotten to know better in the time he'd spend shopping with him.</p><p>"Good question. When a human drinks vampire blood, he either becomes a hunter or a blood doll, you are the second. Other vampires will call you a slave because technically it’s what you've become, but we don't use the bond like that. Whatever Younghyun orders you to do, you will obey." Jia answered the boy because he was the oldest blood doll, he felt it his mission to guide the boy into the path of a good half-vampire being. "I am a blood doll too, but I am Chungyeol’s. Elena is also his blood doll so we play he is my dad and she is my mom. You'll be my cousin! How cute!" the tall male kept on blabbering, but soon enough Younghyun was asking Chungyeol to tame his blood doll better. "The thing is, when you become a blood doll you completely surrender your will to the vampire you accepted to belong to."</p><p>For a moment Li-Xuan seemed to try and figure something out, but then he turned to Younghyun instantly. "So if you tell me to be okay with it and use this 'hyuu' thing I will, right? Does that work?"</p><p>"It did when Younghyun was my blood doll." Sungmin replied before Younghyun could and the youngest vampire was mortified at how much his hyungs liked to ruin his cool image. "You had to see, Jihoon, he couldn't for the life of him call Daroll with anything but father. So yeah I had to control him for a while. The order helps but it doesn't do everything, we want you to accept for yourself this new life, we don't want to impose, so for starters, yeah Hyun baby can order you to call us 'hyung'."</p><p>The human turned to Sungmin instantly when he spoke, glancing over at Younghyun as he was mentioned. "Younghyun.." he eventually tried as Sungmin finished speaking. "Hyuung.." he added then after a moment, still hesitant about it, still frowning. His eyes remained glued on the one of them that he knew best, hoping to find his approval.</p><p>Younghyun smiled proudly and nodded once at his blood doll. "Welcome to the family, Jihoon-ah. I'll teach you everything and soon enough you'll feel like you had always belonged here." he assured.</p><p>Their journey to the Socheon was quite peaceful, around three times they recognized vampires working for Daehyun but none picked a fight, so they managed to settle down quite easily. Of course Daroll’s mere presence was a bother to the Prince, some covens did come around expecting to follow a new leader but nothing changed and Daroll made sure to every one of them he was not interested into becoming a Prince.</p><p>As a safety measure, Younghyun did order Jihoon to use his new name and address the other members of the coven informally and by their Socheonese names. Slowly Jihoon learned everything that was to know about that coven he joined and got used to live in as the noble he always thought he could never be. From time to time they would move from one city to the other and back, from one country to another and back. When he questioned why they would always come back to that same city at Socheon he learned that was where the coven really started so it was a place they all cherished very much.</p><p>The first big event that happened in Jihoon's life was when he was about a little over five hundred years old and truth be told, only Daroll noticed it happened, a new secret was created, one he feared could be the most dangerous for his coven.</p><p>It had been a rather calm day, one of those days Jia would spend hours at the commerce street in search of fine materials for his creations, it was almost the end of winter and Younghyun’s birthday was approaching. That characteristic was something that indeed made their coven different, they did celebrate their human birthdays, not really paying attention to the days they were reborn as vampires. Jihoon was also looking for something to give to Younghyun, but nothing seemed to be good enough for the vampire and that year was special because they were celebrating the youngest seven hundred years.</p><p>On their way back they passed in front of a weaponry and somehow Jihoon’s attention was pulled like a magnet, his eyes landing on a fine silvery sword, too silvery and glittery to be made of steel. Quickly the younger called for Jia's attention asking to enter the rather huge tent and look at what was being offered there. A bit reluctant the older agreed and Jihoon made a beeline to the sword.</p><p>A small detail passed unnoticed by the younger but not by the older. That weaponry smelled like vampires and this fact alone made Jia cautious.</p><p>"Welcome to my humble tent, customers. I see you are interested in a very fine piece." A deep voice said from the left. What graced the two blood dolls was a male in his late forties with a friendly smile, deep long black hair and an aura as cold as ice. Only then did Jihoon notice that shop was not exactly a common one.</p><p>"I... I want to buy this one." The younger male said after a short glance Jia's way.</p><p>"I am sure you want, but unfortunately I don't sell this kind of fine weapons to blood dolls," The owner of the shop replied still smiling. "Maybe if you bring your master then we can talk about purchases." The vampire added with a bit of sarcasm in his voice as if he was implying those two could be hunters and he wouldn't do business with that kind of humans.</p><p>"I want to buy it as a birthday gift, so I’m not really interested into asking my master to come buy his own present." Jihoon replied mather-of-fact, sounding surer of himself. It was never a good idea to let a vampire be sure you are afraid of him.</p><p>The vampire scoffed amused. "Birthday? And you do want me to believe in such bullshit?" Jihoon felt offended but Jia retorted with a soft and polite tone.</p><p>"Our masters are not your average kindreds. They celebrate their birthdays as well as their blood doll's," The taller human then turned to his dongsaeng half ignoring the vampire in front of them. "If he needs a vampire to buy the weapon we can ask Chungyeol to come by, maybe he will like to visit this shop, you know he loves swords."</p><p>The mention of the name seemed to bring something new into the vampire's expression. For a moment Jia thought the guy had finally understood who they were but he was proved wrong in a way. "Chungyeol? By any chance you meant Kim Chungyeol? Who of you is his blood doll?"</p><p>The last question made the humans feel the need to be even more cautious. "Why would you think we don't have the same master?" Jia questioned as the two humans silently agreed the older should lead that conversation.</p><p>The vampire took a deep breath and smirked. "Definitely not the same master. The vampire scent in you is similar but is different, you have different masters but they have the same sire." Those words were spoken with certainty, it was clear that vampire had a smell ability similar to Sungmin's.</p><p>Jia frowned. "From where would you know my master?" The human asked narrowing his eyes.</p><p>The vampire shrugged. "Not exactly your master, no. But if it's the Chungyeol I think it is then I actually do know his sire. This Chungyeol master of yours is a tall slender male, with shoulder length red hair and very delicate features as well as very clumsy with a sword?"</p><p>Jia scoffed more for the last description than anything else, but hearing the sound the vampire seemed to remember something. "Oh right. Chungyeol was most probably just faking to be clumsy, since the last time I saw them, Domenic was still kicking human asses as recreational activities. He was one of my most loyal customers, I really resented his death."</p><p>Jihoon looked apprehensive at his hyung, that was definitely a vampire they shouldn't have crossed paths with without their pet vampires to protect them. "I heard a lot of stories about how Daroll actually decapitated Domenic, but it's hard to believe in any of them. I would love to hear the tale from Daroll himself, could you bring him instead? I'll give a special discount for that sword. I'll even take it out and put it aside for you, young blood doll." The vampire suddenly said back with his friendly smile. The blood dolls bowed and didn't waste the opportunity to flee, the last thing the vampire told them as he followed to the weaponry's door was that his name was Adrant.</p><p>When the two got back home the first thing they did was look for Daroll and inform their master either of a possible threat or a long lost acquaintance.</p><p>Daroll stared at them strangely pensive, Jihoon was confused with that reaction but Jia was outright worried, the first thing he would do after getting out of the office was run to Chungyeol and tell him as well.</p><p>"You will take me there tomorrow, Jihoon. You can go rest now and do not worry, I do know Adrant and he is not someone you should fear, but be extremely respectful to." Daroll suddenly said with a small smile.</p><p>Jihoon easily accepted that, but Jia didn't and true to his intentions he went to Chungyeol to talk about this Adrant guy. Only after his master's explanation he let it go.</p><p>"Oh Adranto, yeah, I remember him, from time to time he would come by and offer swords to Domenic, that dude has some great platinum and silver weapons. He was the one that crafted the water dragon for Daroll. I think he had always expected Domenic to die in Daroll’s hands. I don't fancy him but I do not consider him a potential enemy." Chungyeol had sounded very sure of himself so Jia did accept that.</p><p>The next day Jihoon left with Daroll causing Younghyun to get curious since Daroll hardly asked anything directly to the youngest blood doll. But Sungmin was asked to make sure the youngest vampire would not follow them and so Younghyun was well misled.</p><p>At the weaponry, Adrant welcomed Daroll with a big hug and they conversed for a while about the plan to kill Domenic and how his afterlife had been so far, Jihoon had no clue how Daroll was nervous to meet with that particular vampire again.</p><p>"Little blood doll, I do hope your master will like this creation of mine. It's called Bloedijs, Ice Blood, made of fine platinum and silver, perfect for an experienced fighter. Be careful with it 'cause it's deadly." Adrant said as he handed the well wrapped sword to Jihoon who marveled over the sword's name. He always thought Younghyun was extremely related with the winter or anything related with the word 'cold', he felt like that sword was something similar because the moment his eyes landed on it he felt like he was looking at a piece of winter inside that weaponry.</p><p>Jihoon had paid no attention to how that name had put Daroll in alert even more.</p><p>They left not long after, going back home and proceeding to hide the sword from Younghyun until his birthday. The small party was prepared carefully and Younghyun felt extremely thankful for the small token of love from his family. Small gifts were given him but certainly Jihoon's gift was supposed to be the real deal.</p><p>There were no words to describe the expression Younghyun had when he tore apart the wrapping and the piece of art came into view. The youngest vampire had only seen such delicate carving and details in few weapons, his hyung had many beautiful swords but that one was easily placed in the same perfectness of Chungyeol's Water Dragon and Sungmin's Bloedvuur.</p><p>The sword's scabbard was embroidered with thin patterns made of silver, imitating a snow storm, the hilt seemed to have been made of nacre and was simply stunning, the guard had the shape of dragon wings. Everything in it screamed icy, deadly.</p><p>Carefully Younghyun took hold of the hilt, but something unexpected happened, the youngest vampire felt like his hand had been pierced by a huge amount of needles, it burned as if he was a human holding a block of ice. It lasted a few seconds but he also felt like something was drinking his blood. The next thing he knew Daroll was pulling the sword out of his grasp and to the younger's confusion the hilt was no longer white, but dark deep blood red.</p><p>"What?" Younghyun mumbled confused with what was happening but nobody could reply, he noticed that only Jihoon was as confused as he was, Jia and Elena seemed to be surprised, Chungyeol and Sungmin seemed apprehensive, but Daroll seemed to be ready for murder.</p><p>The next second though the red disappeared as if absorbed by the nacre and the sword became pure white again. "Adrant still plays this kind of prank, that dumbass." Chungyeol said scoffing and it made Daroll notice something else. Indeed, sometimes, when Adrant would show up with new swords to sell, at least one vampire would get hurt by their own new sword and then the blood would just disappear. Adrant had said once that he usually put a prank spell in at least one sword, but now that Daroll knew the real identity of that vampire he doubted it was just a prank. Whatever happened in those few seconds, now there was a bond between Younghyun and the sword and he needed know what it was.</p><p>Not to alarm his progeny, Daroll went along with the prank disguise. When Younghyun took hold of the sword again, nothing strange happened and the members of the coven easily dismissed the threat.</p><p>Nevertheless, the next day, Daroll went to the weaponry but found in its place an old lady selling fruits. The vampire cursed under his breath, wondering where the hell he could find his progenitor of progenitors. Yet he ended up berating himself, because you don't find the Artisan, he allows you to get close. And he remembered that as he saw Sahyoun calmly looking at him from a few meters down the street. After their eyes locked for a few moments she turned around and walked away, Daroll stealthily followed her.</p><p>They entered a very small house almost falling apart.</p><p>"Daroll." The deep old voice greeted as said vampire stared at the other. Daroll was no longer in front of Adrant, but the Artisan.</p><p>"What does that sword mean?" Daroll practically snarled. "What did you influence Jihoon to buy?" He continued but the antediluvian raised a hand in sign for him to stop.</p><p>"You shall not question me like that, child," The oldest vampire started, giving his back to Daroll and taking a seat in a huge cushion by the wall. "Because you are my favorite, I'll tell you. This new kid of yours, I don't like him. He is definitely not worth one of my creations, but he is still your progeny and one that will make things interesting to watch, so he was worthy enough to have a sword from Adrant."</p><p>Daroll narrowed his eyes at the vampire in front of him, every time he was in front of the antediluvian he felt like he was not the master of his own life, that the vampire in front of him already knew everything and was just forcing him to make the choices he thought were the best ones. Those thoughts made the Artisan laugh.</p><p>"You are master of your destiny, Alexis. I merely give you the right weapons to get it, I don't control what happens to you, I just enjoy watching." The Artisan practically mocked. "I am letting you know, Alexis, that your coven will have the opportunity to do something great."</p><p>"What was that sword you gave my son?" Daroll asked much more composed but still visibly enraged.</p><p>"Always overly protective." The Artisan mocked this time around but clapped anyway. "I gave him the potential weapon that will end his requiem." He replied with an amused tone.</p><p>Daroll felt his whole body shiver because every ounce of him had wished to attack that old hag, but at the same time he could feel the immense power the antediluvian had that forced him to stay still even without spoken words.</p><p>"Why?" Daroll managed to seethe. The Artisan simply smiled before he replied, his hands reached for some sort of scroll up a wrecked table beside his cushion. The words followed as he played with the piece of old paper.</p><p>"You, Alexis, were a child born from hatred, one of my favorite kinds; Chungyeol was born from opportunity, he could become your right hand or your worst enemy, we both know he became the epitome of loyalty to you, and that is certainly admirable; Sungmin was a child born from betrayal and revenge, you did wonders taming him, though his inclinations to the wild can still give you some headache; all of you are worth my attention, worth the title of real Dragons, but this new kid of yours..." The Artisan shook his head in disapproval. "No matter from which angle I used to see his birth, I could only conclude he is a child born from love. It's not a very good point for him, but I take he is very cautious of to whom he'll give his love. This gave him a few points, though I still don't agree with both his births, he is there and he sure had made a very interesting choice for whom to add into your little coven, that's why I gave him the sword. Nothing special about it, he can cut whatever he wants with it, but it loses its sharpness when held by someone that is not deeply connected to him by love, also whoever else but him that holds the sword would only be able to use it against him. It's it perfect? The ones he loves are the only ones that can use that sword to kill him, and I tell you, most probably he'll find the end of his requiem through that icy touch."</p><p>Daroll stared at the black figure in front of him with dread, he didn't like that prophesy at all, he wouldn't allow any of his children to die. They would live for as long as he himself would live.</p><p>The Artisan stared back reading the wild thoughts crossing the younger kindred's mind. "But enough talk about Adrant's little gift. I have a much more important gift to give you." The ancient kindred suddenly added.</p><p>Those words left Daroll even more cautious and confused. The antediluvian surely was having a lot of fun playing games with the younger.</p><p>"Ah you become so hopeless in front of me, Alexis, it's really entertaining." The Artisan mocked, causing another surge of rage to course through Daroll. "You know I’ve been watching your adventures, another point your younger progeny lost was when he jumped into the fire to save that little for-now-useless-human, but I felt really curious as to why oh why even after so many years of that fact, he is still bald. It really made me quite annoyed and it was actually Sahyoun who pointed it out. You are missing a Draconic Tier." The elder said over exaggerating his gestures and tone to pass his point across.</p><p>Daroll processed that information slowly. His vampire clan was known as the masters of weaknesses, they were the closest to the human kind, they could acquire the ability to stand against their weaknesses much sooner than any other clan and Daroll had always believed he had all the Dragon Spells, what could be the tier he was missing?</p><p>"My first born children neglected this Tier claiming it to be quite useless. They couldn’t understand what my intentions were when I created it. Don't look at me like that, you know I am the first Dragon, of course I had been the one creating the Tiers. Most of the scrolls about this tier were lost along the way, they became quite rare to find so of course you wouldn't have it. When I noticed it, I could understand why a few points of your future were so frustrating, you had been supposed to have choices but you always acted as if you hadn't and it was really annoying, now I know if you continue like you are today you won't have the choice because you don't have the weapon, so now I am giving you the weapon so you can have the choice. I can see the future, Alexis, I know what awaits you, everything you do is your choice, I merely give you the best weapons to make the most convenient choices for your coven, I know how you work so I know what you will choose, but you are still master of your future." The antediluvian said reaching out the scroll for the younger to get.</p><p>With a hesitant move the younger took the scroll and opened it to read, a surprised frown creasing his forehead at each word read. When he looked back at the Artisan with an open mouth the elder took off the hood and smirked at the younger. "Ah yes, your future is much clearer now, and much more interesting. Of course I won't tell you what is there awaiting for you, so don't even think about asking, the other question I can answer: yes, it had been my wish to reverse the kindred curse, but that was the farthest I could bring a vampire to become human again."</p><p>Daroll stared back at the scroll for the first time not cursing this hateful habit the Artisan had to speak in monologues just by reading the thoughts crossing his interlocutor's head. That Draconic Tier was not useless, it was just a pretty dream.</p><p>Human food has no taste, and does nothing if a vampire was to eat it, the vitae works on whatever they eat so feasting in human parties were just necessary to keep the act, but with that first tier they could stop drinking human blood and get nourished by normal human food.</p><p>A vampire no longer ages after his human death, their appearance can be influenced by their manipulative abilities, they can force a human to believe they had aged slightly, that they had changed slightly even if that was not true, but with the second tier of that scroll they could have their hair and nails grow normally, they could change appearances naturally.</p><p>A well trained vampire can delude a human into not noticing how deadly pale they are, as they can allow a human to notice they are not your innocent average human, but with the third tier they could look like a healthy human and even blush if necessary.</p><p>But certainly the last tier was the most uncommon, a vampire is a walking dead, they no longer have a heartbeat, but with that last tier the vampire can become his own blood doll, because all the previous tiers are activated together and the vampire can hear his own heart beating again.</p><p>He couldn't understand why the Artisan did such a thing, he agreed with the other dragons, after becoming a vampire what was the need of a beating heart? They could keep the secret without it, but at the same time some part of him saw in that the amazedness of becoming half human, of half resurrecting. He couldn't think of what could be so important for them to have that tier, but Daroll figured it would be very useful for Younghyun as of the moment.</p><p>"Hair is something precious to many human societies, a young bald man will drag your coven down so go fix that useless kid of yours. Throwing himself into the fire for a human that didn't even know the secret, killing his potential companion was dumbness enough." The Artisan suddenly said and Daroll found himself defending his progeny's actions.</p><p>Nevertheless he was interrupted by a stern tone from the elder. "Whatever. Go back to your adventure. You still have much to do.” Daroll took that as he had much to live still.</p><p>Daroll wandered around the city on his way back home, setting his mind on first call Chungyeol for a private talk, he still thought that maybe it was not safe for the youngers to know who Adrant really was, but he figured Chungyeol had to know so they could both watch over the dangerous weapon Younghyun now possessed.</p><p>Before he could fully finish that thought process, something blocked the sun from his view and the next moment a hand was placed on his nape and his forehead was pressed against another one. "I could have killed you right now. Are you insane? Where have you been?! You better have a decent explanation for this, I will not take an ‘away’ for an answer!" Chungyeol mumbled in almost a seethe, his expression seeming furious but Daroll of all people would know it was worry that made the younger act as he was. And in the next moment Chungyeol indeed let go and started looking him over for any wounds or signs of being hurt instead.</p><p>As if the happenings were not strange enough Daroll simply pulled Chungyeol closer with a one-arm hug since he didn't want to damage the frail scroll he was holding. "You could have, but you would never, as well as anyone wouldn’t be able to kill me, because you wouldn't let them. The way you protect me, you have to protect your brothers too, the same way." Daroll said with a low voice, but then he distanced himself with a smile on his face, anyone could tell Daroll was perfectly fine, but Chungyeol out of all people knew better. And he wasn't about to let the other get away with such words.</p><p>"All I hear are excuses. We're going home now and you're going to talk to me. I can't protect anyone if you're keeping from me things that matter. Like where the hell you're going off to for such a long time without saying anything! For all I knew you were dead in a ditch, beheaded, burned up!"</p><p>Daroll closed his eyes and nodded surprising Chungyeol yet again. "I am keeping things from you. I thought it wasn't necessary for such a thing to be said but I was wrong. Regarding him I should just expect that every single detail is deadly important. It sickens me the way he uses us, for something I don't even know what could be." the older replied by passing Chungyeol and heading home in a normal human speed, he still had things to sort out and decide over.</p><p>The younger was about to protest to the whole vague talking thing when a particular smell registered in his head, Daroll smelled of ethereal fire and a mixture of metals though it was very subtle. When Daroll started to move, he just walked along with him in silence. Daroll would hardly ever act like that and just one kindred could have put him in that state, as well as make him smell like that. And he didn’t like the wild thoughts crossing his head.</p><p>When they got home, as Daroll expected, Sungmin had already left to go enjoy the city’s night life, Younghyun was out with Jihoon, while Elena and Jia were in his studio working on clothes. It soothed him how he knew their routine and was able to track all of them at the same time, his sin had become quite handy and made him regret less his decision so many centuries back. When the two were inside Daroll’s study room, the sire took a seat, placed the scroll in front of him and waited for the question he knew was coming.</p><p>Chungyeol hovered the table supporting his weight on his hands as he leaned over. "Who's he? Who's using us and why aren't we doing anything about it?” he questioned trying to see past the blank mask on his sire’s face.</p><p>"Take a look at this," Daroll indicated the scroll with the last dragon tier. "He gave it to me.” Daroll said simply.</p><p>Chungyeol looked down, with just slight hesitance he straightened and opened the scroll without much care, but as he read through, his hold became softer while his expression showed how much he couldn’t believe in what he was reading. When he looked back at Daroll the doubt was no longer there, he knew who they were talking about but he still had a load of questions to make. “You were with the old hag. He is the only one with power to control us, what does this mean?”</p><p>“The Artisan, Chungyeol, is our prime progenitor. He created the tiers and this is how far he managed to reverse the kindred curse. I see no point in the total mastering of this tier, though it will be useful for Younghyun right now. But this is far our central point here,” Daroll replied finally openly showing his worry, a worry Chungyeol still couldn’t understand, he was not very impressed with the whole progenitor talk or the tiers because he knew those things wouldn’t worry Daroll like that.</p><p>“The nameless is actually not a good title for the Artisan, because I do know a name to call him, a name we used quite often the past day.” Daroll continued and it didn’t take much for Chungyeol to put the scroll back up the table, his expression changing from confused to furious.</p><p>“Adrant is the old hag?” he snarled and for a moment Daroll feared what Chungyeol could do. “What does that damn sword do?” the younger seethed apparently managing to control himself better.</p><p>“Younghyun as well as the ones he loves the most are the only ones that can use that sword, with one small detail: they can only use it against Younghyun himself,” Daroll’s words were void of emotion, Chungyeol on the other hand became silent. “We have to make sure what is it that Younghyun is holding.” The sire added and the younger could only stare understanding why Daroll had seemed so out of his cool earlier.</p><p>“And how do you plan to do that?” Chungyeol questioned not long after and they spent a while plotting what they would do. They decided over not telling anyone about the curse of Bloedijs until they had seen with their own eyes what the sword would do when held by someone that was not Younghyun.</p><p>They decided over the day Younghyun was scheduled to sleep, Sungmin was out as he usually was, he had made it his job to go get information on the kindreds living in that city, if the Prince had his ears and eyes, Sungmin was Daroll’s. The blood dolls were doing their respective pass time activities and didn’t really bother to pay attention when both Daroll and Chungyeol entered Younghyun’s room sometime in the morning. Bloedijs had been nicely placed on a side drawer with the easiest access possible. Without further ado, Daroll walked to it, unclasping the blade from the scabbard. The moment he took hold of the sword the pristine white nacre became blood red and the vampire felt something heavy in his chest.</p><p>Chungyeol watched from the side with a worried frown, he had not really agreed with the tests Daroll had came up with, merely because they had the sire and Younghyun as target. With a fast movement Daroll put the first test into motion, he extended one arm and with the other used the sword to cut his arm, a movement that would have certainly cut it off completely, yet the blade didn’t even touch Daroll’s arm. It stopped millimeters from doing so, by a force they couldn’t explain, they had seen a small light at the area the contact should have been made but other than that, Daroll just felt his arms getting cold.</p><p>“Impressive.” Daroll mumbled before he turned to Chungyeol and extended the sword for him, the blade touching his arm as the hilt was offered harmlessly.</p><p>Without hesitance the younger took the blade and they frowned as the nacre turned back to its original color. “What does this mean?” Chungyeol asked but it was obvious none of them had the answer.</p><p>“I don’t know, but let’s continue.” Daroll said and Chungyeol hesitated, looking back at his sire with a stern expression.</p><p>“You know I had never ever imagined myself holding a sword against you. Even if this is just a test and you might not get hurt from it, I still hate this task, I hope you take that to heart and never ask this of me again. Drinking your blood that time was freaking enough.” The younger said, taking a firmer hold of the sword and without expecting a reply back used it to slash Daroll’s chest. Again the blade did not touch the vampire, the light was there again, appearing through the whole expanse of the supposed wound, it had felt like a magical barrier had pushed the sword away if only slightly. Daroll had felt nothing but Chungyeol did feel a very cold sensation running from his arm to the rest of his body. He didn’t like that feeling, it was something similar to guilty… guilty for intending to hurt his progenitor.</p><p>The second test was done and it was just like the Artisan had said would happen: the sword was useless against any opponent that wasn’t Younghyun.</p><p>The next experiment had left Daroll apprehensive, but they had to continue. The two kindreds eyed each other, the younger asking for a confirmation the elder gave with a nod. Carefully Chungyeol moved closer to Younghyun intending to make a small cut on Younghyun’s arm so they could confirm they could hurt the younger with that, yet the moment the blade was supposed to simply touch the skin it didn’t, the strange shield was activated and from a further distance than what it was when Daroll had been the target. They both frowned.</p><p>“What the hell? I love this pest why can’t I hurt him?” Chungyeol demanded from no-one in particular. With dread Daroll got closer and took the sword from the younger. Again the nacre became red. They looked at the youngest for a second and then Daroll simply let the blade rest against Younghyun’s vulnerable skin without putting pressure. There was no shield.</p><p>“The sword selects who is supposed to hurt him,” Daroll said quickly pulling the sword away. “Maybe I know why. The Artisan binds his creations to the owner by blood. My progeny can use the weapons made with my blood, but others can’t. My blood runs in Younghyun, but his blood doesn’t run in you, his blood is the key, not ‘love’.”</p><p>“Jihoon.” Chungyeol mumbled as he understood where his sire was getting at. With a sense of urgency they called the youngest blood doll over and without explaining just ordered him to hold the sword. Awkwardly the human did so and as expected the nacre continued red.</p><p>Jihoon stared at it with a confused expression before looking up at Daroll and Chungyeol, lastly turning to Younghyun. There was a certain fear in his eyes and his grip on the sword was loose, the tip of the blade resting on the ground still, not at all threatening. There was a question in his eyes but he didn't ask it out loud, instead waiting for them to tell him what the whole point of this was.</p><p>Daroll took the sword back and simply put it back into its scabbard. “When Younghyun wakes up I’ll explain. Go back to what you were doing. Younghyun is safe, don’t worry.” The sire ordered but his voice didn’t have the power Younghyun’s still had over the human.</p><p>Jihoon cast a last long look at the youngest vampire before turning his gaze back to the oldest two and giving them a short nod. He left again then, but clearly he was worried to the core and nothing they would say would change that until Younghyun would be awake and well again.</p><p>Chungyeol put a hand over Daroll’s shoulder as the sire stared at his defenseless progeny. “Our most vulnerable moment. I had only failed once in not allowing anyone inside my children’s room while they were asleep. I shall never do it again. They are my responsibility.” The older said, taking a seat and caressing Younghyun’s face.</p><p>“This responsibility is not only yours,” Chungyeol retorted putting his hand on his sire’s shoulders. “That sword is not a threat. The old hag had tried to seed doubt between us. You know that right?” he continued and with his other hand Daroll took hold of one of Chungyeol’s.</p><p>“I know. He had tried to sell it as terrible prophecy, but we won’t let it happen. Let’s not look at the sword as a chance of betrayal, but as proof of loyalty.”</p><p>“Of course.” Chungyeol agreed trying to understand what exactly the Artisan would want from them for each of their members to hold a weapon crafted by him. He also wondered if he did it right to give the Water Dragon to Elena. Why exactly the Water Dragon had no special power? What was awaiting for them in the future? He hated not knowing but couldn’t deny he preferred it like that. Knowing the future had always sounded more like a curse than a blessing in his ears.</p><p>Later that night, much after Younghyun had really woken up, did Daroll call over the whole coven for the serious talk. In that meanwhile he had conversed with Chungyeol to guarantee that they could pass those precious information forward.</p><p>The atmosphere in the room was tense more because Daroll was the one tense. When he finally spoke it felt like his voice was the only sound of the whole world. "What I will tell you now, shall never be repeated outside this room, you shall not even think further into the matter." The Elder started not looking at any one in particular, yet those words only intensified the tension specially when after he looked pointedly at the youngest blood doll.</p><p>"Jihoon," The sire called with a sense of worry. "The vampire that sold the sword you gave Younghyun is someone I know for a very long time, yet I do not trust him because I discovered he was much more than I thought he was. He tried to use you to seed doubt between us."</p><p>Jihoon frowned at those words, obviously feeling incredibly guilty already. "I.. I had no idea.." he stammered as he glanced over at Younghyun, seemingly ready to throw himself to his knees and beg for forgiveness.</p><p>But practically at the same time Younghyun spoke visibly shaken and angry. "What do you mean, dad?" The youngest vampire asked with a small voice.</p><p>"The vampire that crafted that sword was no other than The Artisan, Younghyun. He put a spell in Bloedijs that was trigged by your blood when you first held it. This spell allows only you and the ones related to you by blood to be able to use the sword," Daroll answered with a small smile as his gaze fell on his progeny and then back at Jihoon. "It was not your fault Jihoon. You couldn't know, as Jia didn't know as well." The human still didn't seem totally convinced of his innocence but he glanced over at the taller blood doll now and frowned lightly at the other before focusing his gaze back on their leader.</p><p>"So what's the trick the old hag put on it then?" Elena spoke up in that moment. "Why would that sword create doubt?"</p><p>To that question Chungyeol took upon himself the burden of explaining the details. "That old hag was cunning,” He started, looking at his companion but then he looked at Younghyun who stared back.  “Younghyun, you can use Bloedijs against anyone, it's made perfectly for you, but Daroll and Jihoon can also use it yet they can only use it against you," to prove his point he continued. "Younghyun, pass the sword to Elena." at the order the youngest vampire glanced first at Daroll before handing the sword to the only female among them.</p><p>Elena took the sword from him after tearing her eyes away from the vampire she loved, her eyes going to the weapon as if to be able to see anything that would happen. But there was absolutely nothing uncommon about it, nothing strange. "Pass it to Jia," Chungyeol ordered simply while his eyes got pinned in Jihoon.</p><p>The younger blood doll was watching it all with a tense expression, clearly expecting a fiery monster to appear out of the hilt of the sword or something to the likes. Yet neither Elena nor Jia showed such tension, merely exchanging the sword among each other.</p><p>Once again nothing happened and Younghyun was clearly becoming annoyed with the situation. Yet before he could ask what was the meaning of all that Daroll ordered Jia to pass the sword to Jihoon and the silence continued. When Jia did so, Jihoon reached out with a slightly trembling hand. He had seen what had happened to the sword the last time he held it and he was afraid of the same thing happening again. And indeed, the moment his hand closed around the thing, the hilt turned blood red.</p><p>"That is the signal the Artisan had created for us to tag as proof we can be betrayed by those we had put our trust into." Daroll spoke with a cold tone, his eyes pinned at Jihoon's hand.</p><p>"Sungmin, bring it to me." Chungyeol ordered and said vampire got closer to the blood doll with an impartial expression, reaching for the hilt without allowing Jihoon to let go.</p><p>Being the one who most helped bring Jihoon along, Sungmin was sure of the choice he had made back then. "Jihoon, don't be afraid of this."</p><p>The blood doll looked up at Sungmin only slowly when he spoke, his wide eyes focused on the vampire for quite some time before he slowly nodded. But as he did so, his eyes moved away from the vampire to find his master, to seek the same kind of reassurance there. Of course Younghyun didn't fail in doing so, his eyes showed he was determinate to prove the Artisan wrong.</p><p>Sungmin held the sword and took it back to Chungyeol, in the meantime, the nacre of the hilt once again became white, and it remained like that until Chungyeol handed the sword back to Daroll, wordlessly. Daroll stared at the red surface for a moment before speaking. "I have killed my sire, Jihoon. And there's not a day I had ever come to regret doing so. If there is one fear I don't have, it is for any of you to kill me, or for you to kill Younghyun or Elena and Jia trying anything against Chungyeol," The oldest vampire looked at the blood doll then. "You shall not look at Younghyun as a master but as what he wants you to see him as: someone that loves you as family." he held the sword back pointing at Younghyun, who reached for it with certainty.</p><p>Jihoon swallowed in relief as Sungmin took the sword away from him. Yet his eyes moved from his master over to Daroll when the elder spoke and he watched him throughout the other's talking. When the leader eventually handed the sword back to Younghyun, he finally managed to bring up the courage to speak. "I do." he replied to the Daroll, his eyes moving from the eldest among them to Younghyun. "Someone that loves me as family, someone I love as family, but also my master, the one who taught me most of what I can and am right now."</p><p>After hearing those words every face in the room broke into a smile. There would never be doubt between them.</p><p>"I don't know why the Artisan is so interested in our coven and I don't like the fact that we are such an open book for him, but now we know who is hidden behind the hood, I already knew from the first time I was in his presence, but I never deemed it worth to tell you all. Yet he used our blood dolls to approach this time around, we have to be careful of this secret. I had never heard of a coven in which every member has a weapon crafted by the nameless, we will face something dangerous in the future, we can be sure of that, and there’s just one thing we shall do over anything else: protect each other and keep our requiems as one.” Daroll finished that conversation ordering the artisan’s identity to be hidden in the depths of their memory.</p><p>Some eighty years later Jihoon faced the second grand surprise of his life as Blood Doll, they had traveled west and visited many different lands but as if on an endless circle they were once again back to the southeast, the only land they actually felt at home.</p><p>It had been roughly around three days after they had settled back that rumors started to run wild, all revolving around the same information: Prince Daehyun had disappeared without trace. That statement alone led to others especially two: a first in which Daroll's coven was the one responsible for the Prince's disappearance and a second that he was finally trying to get what was his of right.</p><p>It caused the coven to stay even more alert than what they already were. Younghyun had advised them to just leave and not get involved in that matter but Sungmin pointed that maybe leaving would just settle the guilty upon them, so they just agreed to stay and live how they had planned to without interfering in other vampire business.</p><p>Yet even if they had nothing to do with the happenings and another rumor about the new prince being already selected by the Elders, they still received the visit of the Avengers that had been sent to investigate Daehyun supposed death.</p><p>It was a clear night during spring, for a change Elena was at the garden with Jia and Chungyeol for their usual tea time, that day it had been quite late because a few coven leaders had paid a visit to reaffirm their loyalty to Daroll, clearly believing in all the rumors.</p><p>At one point four vampires wearing heavy black mantles jumped in the garden. Two of them rushed to the three pulling out beautiful silvery swords. Jia stepped away as far as he could to give space to both Elena and Chungyeol to fight. A third cloaked vampire sprinted to the left trying to reach the male blood doll that instinctively pulled out his dagger. Yet before the vampire could reach him Daroll appeared from nowhere to defend him.</p><p>Alarmed from the battle sounds Younghyun and Jihoon rushed to the garden. At seeing the two, the only vampire not fighting sprinted in their direction. The younger blood doll cried in surprise and took a step back while Younghyun sprinted forward to defend the both of them. Bad time for Sungmin to be out feeding.</p><p>From the middle of the garden Chungyeol growled in frustration because his enemy had managed to slash him five times while he only managed to counter attack twice. An anguished cry from Elena distracted him and a sword was pressed against his neck forcing him to stand still, Elena had been thrown on the ground, unarmed and also with a sword positioned at her neck.</p><p>Younghyun had managed a good fight but also got distracted from how Elena was overpowered and he ended up with his arm roughly held behind his back and a sword pressed against his neck.</p><p>Daroll had been the only one overpowering his enemy, the only one holding his foe as hostage, but he knew it could be useless to use it to prevent his kids from being harmed.</p><p>"It's so easy to dominate you, Daroll. You no longer have a selfish side to you. That's bad for a vampire." A female voice filled the air and everybody but Younghyun and Jihoon relaxed in their stance, even more as the hoods were pulled out revealing familiar faces, they should have known just by the scent but they were slightly different from the last time they had seen them.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing here?" Chungyeol asked putting his sword back on its scabbard. The vampire that had been fighting him did the same, taking a step back to give him more space.</p><p>"We decided to pay you a visit. I had never thought we would see you again." The one that had won against Elena replied extending a hand to help her stand up. Elena took it with a somewhat grim expression, heaving herself up from the ground. Although she was surprised to see the others to say the least, she wasn't one to show such emotions, especially not on the battlefield. And as far as she was concerned, that place was still a battlefield until they left it.</p><p>"You shouldn't even be here, didn't you become a princess, Zoe?" Strangely enough Jia asked with a quite happy tone.</p><p>“You know each other?” Younghyun asked the moment the vampire that was keeping him hostage released him, putting away her sword.</p><p>“We know each other from the time Sungmin was but a newborn.” The female closer to him said with some resentment in her tone as she spoke the name.</p><p>Zoe, that had been fighting with Daroll, bypassed said vampire to give Jia a hug. “I was not deemed worth to become a princess. Actually the Deva Antediluvian had voted for my death, but the other clans voted for my requiem and I’ve been proclaimed an Avenger for the Dragons and as you know Daehyun was a Dragon.”</p><p>Jia hummed in understanding. "Ah, that makes sense then. Well it's good to see you, but why are you here still? Avenging Daehyun brings you to us?"</p><p>Natasha, that had been fighting Younghyun, snorted behind said vampire. "Of course, darling. Many think it's your doing. Some purposely tried to sell your heads to us, some claimed you were getting what's yours of right. But it's safe to say we came to end the story once and for all," She looked over Jihoon then, a wicked smile playing on her lips. "Jia still doesn't fight, and now you have a new pet that doesn't fight. You guys are asking for trouble."</p><p>Upon receiving the look from the female, Jihoon edged over a little so he would end up behind Younghyun, as if asking him for protection without words. Meanwhile Jia shook his head easily. "We may not fight but we are one thing you guys don't have." he replied with a slight grin.</p><p>"Useless pets?" Shanti questioned from beside Elena with a playful snort.</p><p>"Better at fashion than you." Elena countered without even looking at the vampire.</p><p>To which Jia grinned lightly. "That too. But I was implying to something different. More like a fresh blood supply."</p><p>"Blood supply? You guys take almost as much as you give," Jade spoke from beside Chungyeol. "You are the one most at risk, don't take another pet unless you want to lose your head." she spoke to said vampire who decided to ignore her comment.</p><p>"How exactly are you here to end this story? And where is Agatha?" Chungyeol voiced looking around and trying to smell said vampire.</p><p>"She went after Sungmin. She still has a thing or two to talk with him since you left while she was still unconscious." Natasha replied to one of the questions while Zoe informed what they were really doing there.</p><p>"We've already found who was responsible for Daehyun's death, and we'll let everyone know tomorrow when we'll announce the new Prince, but we thought you should know there are vampires looking forward to see you without your heads, they were really trying to incriminate you for this."</p><p>"How is that any news?" Elena scoffed, picking up her sword and putting it away before walking over to Chungyeol. She was obviously not in a good mood because of having been beaten.</p><p>"Because the one plotting this was one of your said allies, and they plotted it well. They were expecting pure dragons to come avenge Daehyun and not pure devas working for Dragons. If it had not been us you would have died today starting with you Elena, since you were the first to fall and the cause Chungyeol and the other baby over there to fall after you," Zoe retorted looking back at Daroll. "We've already avenged Daehyun, and you, in a sense, as well. When your allies come tomorrow to swear loyalty to you again, you'll know who it was."</p><p>Of course that comment definitely did not sit well with Elena and so she let out a grumble, turned on her heels and left. Not too far, she knew not to endanger them further, but she just couldn't stand looking at those girls anymore. Folding her hands in front of her stomach, she managed to work out her annoyance a little by digging her nails into her hands as hard as she could.</p><p>Before she was away though, Jade made a sensible question. "On a lighter note where is the other pet? The fox?"</p><p>Younghyun stiffened hearing that and obviously that was an interesting reaction to the Avengers.</p><p>"She's no longer part of the coven." Daroll informed with a light tone, knowing those words could not sit well with them.</p><p>"No longer with you? Looks like we have been really lied to," Natasha said walking closer to Zoe and holding the vampire in a loose embrace. "Looks like we have to hunt a fox now."</p><p>"If one finger of yours touches her fur in a bad way I'll make sure it can never touch anything else again." Elena spoke up at that, turning around with blazing eyes, anger seeping into her voice as she glared at the Devas.</p><p>At the same time Younghyun who had been quiet since he didn't know those women spoke as enraged as Elena did. "If you dare hurt my noona, I'll make sure the last thing you'll see will be the sun!"</p><p>Yet before anything else could be said both Daroll and Zoe spoke "Enough." The female vampire smiled at the other. "We won't hurt her, but we indeed want to talk with her. I am in debt with Mishra as much as I am with Sungmin. To become Avengers we had been given gifts from both the Dragon and the Gangrel Antediluvians, we no longer have any prejudice over the other vampire clans. We are more than what we were before."</p><p>Elena only silenced because Daroll spoke, but her gaze didn't diminish and so she turned away again, just to not further anger their visitors. Breathing in a breath of air with a slight hiss, she motioned Jia and Jihoon to follow her. "It's nearing dinner time, let's go make you something to eat." she mentioned quietly, waiting for the two to start moving before heading towards the building. It was clear she wanted nothing further to do with the whole thing.</p><p>Jia gave Zoe and Natasha a small hug before following after Elena, that matter was something their vampires had to work on. On the other hand Jihoon was more than happy to follow his noona, even though he was not particularly looking forward to the fact that Younghyun stood his ground looking still menacingly at the vampires especially for the words spoken next.</p><p>"We want to request Sungmin to guide us to Mishra. Would it be okay with you Daroll?" Zoe asked with a sickly sweet voice.</p><p>“If it is his wish to go with you, I will allow it, Mishra is someone Sungmin will endlessly miss, and someone my coven cherishes. I hope she’ll remain in your grace from now on.” Daroll replied completely surprising Younghyun.</p><p>Three days later the coven watched as Sungmin received from Zoe an Avenger robe. “Once you had acted as an Avenger but you were not given the pleasure of wearing one of those.” Natasha teased. “As you’ll travel with us you’ll have to play the part well, just remember once an Avenger, always an Avenger, whenever the Artisan would call for your services you’ll have to obey him.”</p><p>Sungmin didn’t know if that was a warning or just a tease, but nevertheless he would never be comfortable to talk about the nameless, not after his last ‘visit’ to the coven and the ‘gift’ he had given them. The vampires left shortly after to the Nishinari Islands, Sungmin was of course elated he would see Mishra again, yet once they reached the destination they found Mishra and Takeshi wounded, a werewolf pack had found them and the Gangrel had been strongly considering asking for help. Timing had never been better for a social visit, Agatha insinuated as the Avengers helped kill the werewolf threat.</p><p><a id="_ftn1" name="_ftn1"></a>[1] Ancient Gunzounese Guitar</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Zevende Lied – The Seventh Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sungmin had lived with Mishra for roughly ten years before getting back to his coven. Zoe and the other Avengers spent much less time but just like they had told Daroll, they offered peace and an alliance. They would keep an eye on that region in order to always give the Gangrel assistance when needed, so the coven would not perish easily, especially if attacked by werewolves again. With that, Sungmin's biggest worry had been dealt with and whenever he would think about the Gangrel’s coven he would find himself smiling and missing the time spent with them.</p><p>Nevertheless, her coven was bigger than what he had expected to find and he himself had helped them take care of a newborn while he was living with them. Takeshi was still Mishra's sort of lover while Makoto had found himself a companion, a girl by the name Mao, aside from the three of them Mishra had embraced another girl called Kaede and some years later her companion Masahiro. The new add to the coven while while was there, was a boy by the name Yoshiki who had been a lone samurai, which had quite easily enhanced Sungmin's love for swords.</p><p>Therefore even though his stay in the wild was an enjoyable experience, Sungmin had gone out of his way to find a reliable vampire blacksmith with whom he spent two more years crafting weapons for his coven, all of them with the very unique touch from the Nishinari Islands. For Daroll, Chungyeol and Younghyun he had crafted long katanas decorating the hilt with an intricate blue dragon for the first, a golden one for the second and a silver one for the younger. He also crafted a katana with a red dragon on the hilt for himself. He was very pleased with his creations but the thought of not taking something to the blood dolls bugged him.</p><p>For them Sungmin worked on even more delicate crafts. Since Jia was still quite clumsy with swords yet he was quite handy with knives and darts - his throwing abilities were quite good - for the older blood doll he prepared a set of black shurikens in the shape of four and six point stars. Sungmin believed Jihoon could follow on Jia’s footsteps with the right persuasion, therefore, for the younger blood doll he made a set of fifteen thin throwing knives. He smiled as he finished the green dragon he painted on them, only lining the knives up in the right order the dragon could be formed.</p><p>For Elena he made something different, he was not so sure if she would like it or not, but he was sure it would be a handicap she would know perfectly when to use. He crafted her two war fans, the dragons in those were black, red and gold but with a distinction: the fan that had black background and golden dragon was a fan with small blades with the purpose of slashing and stabbing, the fan with golden background and black dragon was a fan made for poisoning the foe, both dragons were surrounded by red roses.</p><p>With the weapons for his coven ready, he took with him a few more swords to pass by as a weapon merchant and went back home. </p><p>Once he arrived back beside Daroll, the sire invited some noblemen to his household to acquaintance a cousin of his that had spent most of his life travelling and merchandizing swords, Daroll decided to carry on with Sungmin's lie for that ‘life-time’ until they were to leave for another city.</p><p>A certain human noble had instantly taken an interest in the young male for the tales being told that night. "You have such delicate features it's hard to believe you could be so deadly with a sword." The noble man said at one point and the conversation was led to the human's ability and his proud statement to be the region's best swordsman. To counter that, Sungmin presented a dance with his twin blades impressing the human noble enough for the guy to make an interesting request.</p><p>"Lee Sungmin-ssi, I have a few dedicated pupils, I teach them how to be excellent swordsmen like I am, unfortunately I’ll be out of town for about three months because of a business in another city, would you agree to take care of my disciples?" Daroll had been slightly worried when he heard those words, but, after living in the wild for so long, the second youngest vampire felt like taking the chance to have some fun with clueless humans. He was missing some social activity, therefore, the next week he was at noble Taemo's house watching the middle aged man teaching bullshit to six young lads.</p><p>Taemo's pupils were noblemen's kids, three of them were clearly his best pupils and he seemed to be extremely proud of them, the other three seemed to be the ones that would be forever a disappointment, it annoyed Sungmin how those three would constantly be scolded for being too cautious and for hardly taking the initiative to attack.</p><p>"I don't think I am suitable to take your class. Our thoughts about the sword are quite the opposite," Sungmin had told Taemo when the latter was leaving the city.</p><p>"I am curious to know your thoughts about it, Lee Sungmin-ssi, take care of my kids, I’m looking forward to what I am going to find when I am back." Taemo said, much more influenced by Sungmin's vampiric manipulation than his own thoughts.</p><p>Hence in the next class, Sungmin started his playground. "For three months from now, I'll be your instructor in the art of the sword, yet differently from Kim Taemo-ssi I believe everything he taught you is wrong." Sungmin started and with delight he saw the students stiffing and then retorting.</p><p>"What would you know? You are probably the same age as us. How dare you defy our master's status?! Don't you know he is the best swordsman at the capital?" One of the boys said, his name was Mansoo and Sungmin thought him to be the most pompous of the human kids.</p><p>"Lee Mansoo-ssi, you were born in gold and jewelry, you only used your sword against your classmates. I, Lee Sungmin, had been born a slave, had been freed for my talents, and the sword had saved my life more times than you can count," Sungmin retorted with a mocking smile. "If you believe I am wrong then show me how much you've learned from your master."</p><p>Hearing those words Mansoo felt infuriated and humiliated, without much though and mostly blinded by a profuse dislike for Sungmin, the human attacked the vampire aiming his blade on Sungmin’s left side.</p><p>With a delicate movement Sungmin used his Bloedvuur's scabbard to receive the attack, forcing Mansoo's sword and arm up, completely opening the other's guard, with movements considered fast to humans, he hit with his scabbard Mansoo’s side in a diagonal path, tracing the kids chest and then back down hitting the kid's neck and throwing the human on the ground - hissing in pain with a raged breath.</p><p>"Congratulations, lee Mansoo-ssi. If this was a true duel you would be a decapitated man," Sungmin stated without offering any help for the kid to stand up. "Taemo taught you to attack first with fast and powerful moves, the faster you kill your enemy the best. I tell you, unless you have the handicap of a surprise attack never attack first with open movements. Doing that will only be a show of arrogance and, if your opponent is a sword master, can mean you're dead or missing some important part of your body."</p><p>Mansoo stood up with the help of two other student eyeing Sungmin with displeasure. The vampire ignored them and continued with his lecture.</p><p>"The sword is not just a tool for killing, but for protecting too. In first instance the sword protects your life, because of that it also protects what and who you wish to protect. The sword must be a part of your body, it has to be in harmony with yourself," Saying that he pointed his scabbard in the direction of one of the not so bright students in Taemo’s perspective, a boy called In Youngah. "Your body is the core that must be protected, you shall never allow anyone to touch the core, your arm length is the inner circle, your guard that must be closed to any attack, the sword length is your outer circle, your first attacking range,"</p><p>Sungmin made a hand sign calling Youngah closer. "The tip of your sword against the tip of my scabbard," Sungmin commanded and the boy hesitantly obeyed. "Your opponent's sword length is your second attacking range his first defense, the same way you protect your core he will protects his, the winner is obviously the one that doesn't fail in doing so," Sungmin lowered his weapon and stared at the students. “First we shall learn how to protect the core. Mansoo will duel with Youngah, this duel will happen in turns, Youngah will attack first, Mansoo will defend but will not attack back."</p><p>The human kids tired to protest but Sungmin stood his ground and the duel started. The duel occurred much to Sungmin's expectations, even though Mansoo was adept of attacking first, the lack of self-stem and the hesitation from Youngah made it easy for the pompous kid to defend himself, on the other hand when Sungmin allowed Mansoo to attack, Youngah was sent to the floor hissing in pain.</p><p>For the second duel the vampire called Taejon and Seungi. He had expected pretty much the same to happen but he was fairly surprised when Seungi hesitated on his attack so much he stepped back half way into it. He noticed there, Seungi kid would be the challenge in his class. When his opponent was the one to attack though it was fairly the opposite, even though Taejon had used a fair amount of speed, Seungi still managed to dodge, the kid was a defender, it made Sungmin think of Jia and Jihoon trying to learn the art of the sword, not good attacking but overly efficient defending and dodging.</p><p>The third duel was in Sungmin's expectations fully, Hyunwoo was pretty much like Youngah and Inah was following Taemo's steps.</p><p>With his first impression of the kids taken, he gave his second order of the day. "All of you are clueless kids I see. For this class, since at least you know how to hold a sword correctly, your aim will be to protect the core. The ones with less hits to the core will be better ranked. At the end of class we'll have a rank based on duels you'll have with me. You can start practicing now, same duos." Six disappointed grunts were heard with very distinct intonations but nevertheless the three duels started and Sungmin just kept on watching. It didn't take long for him to notice a small development.</p><p>As he expected Seungi had been the best in 'protecting the core' even though he hardly used his own sword to defend himself, most of the time he simply kept himself out of his opponent's attacking rage, the growing frustration in the kid allowed Seungi to clearly see the openings even though he never used them. On the other hand Youngah had proved to be the one most aware of his surroundings, at first he was focused only in his duel, but at seeing Taejon stretching himself to try and hit Seungi, he started to follow his friend's example and kept himself far enough from Mansoo to the point the other also had to stretch himself so his range attack could reach his foe, what proved to be a wrong move since Youngah managed to attack back much easier and with less chance of defense from Mansoo’s side. Hyunwoo was definitely the most clueless and thus the one being mostly hit, he only grabbed the essence of the exercise after watching his two friends, Mansoo and Taejon dueling with Sungmin by the end of the class.</p><p>Even though the tactic of avoiding the enemy worked against the short-tempered kid nobles the same didn't happen against Sungmin. The vampire never stretched himself against Youngah or Seungi, he always took one step more to attack so there never seemed to be an opening in his guard, even though most of the time the kids did manage to avoid and attack back, they always found Sungmin's scabbard in the way.</p><p>Hyunwoo had followed in his friends footsteps while dueling Sungmin and the kid saw himself smiling at receiving an encouraging nod from Sungmin when he managed to evade for the first time an attack from the vampire.</p><p>Of course, when Sungmin announced the rank, Mansoo and his friends had been furious, they questioned Sungmin's sanity when he ranked Seungi first, followed by Youngah, Inah and Hyunwoo, actually ranking Mansoo - the supposedly best apprentice - in the last place.</p><p>Sungmin stared deep in Mansoo's eye and smirked as the human kid stood his ground. "You are a very interesting child, Mansoo-ssi, can you understand The Sage? Because if you do, I find slightly ridiculous you can't understand me speaking, because my words had been very clear and direct," Hearing that Mansoo stiffened and became red of fury. Yet before he could speak anything more, Sungmin had already moved his stare to Youngah. "My words had been clear right? What was it that I said was the aim of this practice?"</p><p>Youngah was visibly uncomfortable, but nevertheless he replied with a stead firm voice. "The objective of the exercise was to protect the core."</p><p>With that reply Sungmin looked back at Mansoo. "Seungi had been the one who best protected his core. Don't you agree?"</p><p>"Of course not! He hardly used his sword!" Mansoo shouted staring angrily between Sungmin and Seungi who was visibly irritated with the situation.</p><p>On the other hand Sungmin seemed very entertained. "Did I tell you to use your sword?" </p><p>In face of the simple question Mansoo hissed. "What do you mean?" The human kid enquired and Sungmin simply shrugged.</p><p>"You had to protect the core, the means didn't matter. In fact there are basically two means of protecting the core, one by using the sword as a defensive weapon and the other is to keep your core out of your enemy's attacking range. The first works better if your opponent is less skilled than you, because you have a greater chance to unbalance your enemy while being in a close range, the second works better if your opponent is far more skilled than you, because it gives you a chance to study your opponent's stance as well as your opponent's patience, it's more likely you will be able to hit someone more skilled than you if you wear him out first, being it of physical strength or being it his patience," The vampire explained his point. "If you blindly attack you can just end up dead. Sometimes the battle that doesn't happen is the most glorious one."</p><p>Mansoo gritted his teeth and then spat Sungmin's way. "I won't stay here and take classes with you. My only master is Kim Taemo, and when he is back you'll be sorry for what you had said today."</p><p>Sungmin shrugged again and pointed to the door. "The exit is over there, feel free to never come back while I’m in charge here." The vampire announced and promptly Mansoo, Taejoon and Inah left to never come back to class.</p><p>The vampire looked at the remaining three and greeted them goodbye. "For this first month we'll only train your defense mechanism. I'll see you tomorrow." They bowed to each other and all of them left the training ground.</p><p>The next day Sungmin was pleased to see his three students were there, awaiting for the start of his class. That day Sungmin paired Youngah and Seungi while he would duel with Hyunwoo. Of course the human kid had been extremely nervous, but as the hours passed and Sungmin kept on patiently pointing his mistakes and would kindly show him how to move, he gained confidence and after two weeks he was in the same level of the other two.</p><p>Even though most of the vampire's attention was in Hyunwoo, he was still focused on the other duel and would often point a mistake or two and would also point the other’s flaws. During the third week Sungmin changed the pairs having Youngah and Hyunwoo to duel, while Seungi became his opponent. As he expected Hyunwoo's inhibition came back to him at the change of opponent.</p><p>"Hyunwoo, you'll hardly fight the same opponent in more than one occasion, so you can't get used to my way of fighting, or Youngah's or Seungi's. You have to create your own way of fighting and you have to overpower your opponent with it. Most of the time you'll see an opponent only once because either he dies or you die. You have to protect yourself and the best way to do so is to look intently at your opponent, not with arrogance or in a way to get him to fear you, but in a way you can see how his body moves and you can anticipate what he will do. You have to see your opponent, only extremely good sword masters can fool their opponents with the way their body moves and to be able to do that, you have to know yourself perfectly." Sungmin's tone was serene and encouraging in his lectures, and he could see how those three kids looked up at him with respect.</p><p>While Hyunwoo had been the one that mostly needed his advices, Youngah and Seungi had proved to be much more attentive and the improvements in their skills were evident, especially Youngah's as Sungmin noticed when he dueled him in the fourth week.</p><p>At the start of the fifth week Sungmin announced they would change the aim of the training from defense to attack and just as he expected the one that gave him the hardest time was Seungi. Because Youngah was cunning, he was the first to get the gist of Sungmin's explaining about the attacking stance, Hyunwoo even though he was still clumsy, at least he still tried to attack, Seungi on the other hand could clearly see the opening but he never hit his opponent, his wooden sword would always stop midway the attack.</p><p>Sungmin had first, once again, paired Youngah with Seungi but at the third day of that week, not being able to stand the kid's unwillingness to hit his opponent, he ordered Seungi to train with him.</p><p>"Seungi, if this was a true duel you would have been dead already, if you don't hit your opponent he will hit you." Sungmin spoke with a hint of disappointment.</p><p>Seungi bowed receiving openly the critic. "I'm sorry, Sungmin-nim, but it's something I can't do. I do not consider you my enemy and neither I do with Youngah and Hyunwoo. Isn't it enough that I can see my opponent? I'm sure I will be able to act once I face a true enemy." The kid spoke and Sungmin was sure he was in front of someone that would use a sword only if nothing else worked, the kid would certainly be a diplomat.</p><p>Nevertheless Sungmin shook his head. "One thing is to hit the air, another is to hit a solid body. If you move not knowing what to expect in a critical moment, you may hesitate and that will mean your death," Sungmin retorted slightly impatient, so he resorted to something he had thought wouldn't be necessary in there. "Seungi, look at me." The vampire ordered and clueless the boy looked up meeting his instructor's gaze. "When you see an opening in my guard attack with all your might. This is the aim of your practice today." The vampire ordered using his manipulating abilities.</p><p>The human kid had felt mesmerized, Sungmin’s words had seemed to reverberate in all of his body and he felt compelled to obey even if the order he had just received went against all his principles. Seungi held the wooden sword with more force before the two placed themselves in the fighting instance.</p><p>Sungmin attacked and Seungi slipped away to the right apparently fooling Sungmin who had shifted to protect his left. The opening in the guard was clear and the compulsive feeling to obey the order was unbearable. Seungi unlashed his sword with all his might but then something burned inside of him and he managed to stop his sword centimeters away from Sungmin, who momentarily lost his cool at seeing his powers failing him.</p><p>"I told you to hit with all your might." Sungmin hissed but Seungi merely hung his head low ashamed with himself.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Sungmin-nim. But I really can't. I can't betray myself for the sake of this class." The human kid said expecting some kind of punishment.</p><p>Sungmin took in a deep breath and then called Hyunwoo. "I'll duel with you now. Seungi you go back dueling with Youngah. Today you shall use all your strength on the hits, attack as if your life depends on it." He ordered his students and all of them looked warily at him.</p><p>Youngah looked apologetically at Seungi before they started and even more than before Seungi was trying his best to avoid being hit, yet he never really hit his opponent when attacking. On the other hand, Sungmin was only defending and not attacking, because he was afraid to lose his cool and end up killing Hyunwoo unintentionally, yet more often than not Sungmin would purposely open his guard like he had done with Seungi and Hyunwoo made use of those opportunities by hitting the vampire with all his might, even though the hits wouldn't hurt much, Sungmin would be bruised for a few hours enough to fool those kids if necessary.</p><p>That day he dismissed the kids with a bitter tone, for Seungi kept true to his words and continued not attacking. The human kid seemed too frail to Sungmin and made the vampire have blurred memories of his human life, times when he had tried to teach his brother how to use a sword and how Victor had so adamantly refused to keep on learning. His brother, even though he loved to cook, after becoming a prince had no option but to give up becoming a chef, he became a diplomat instead and had helped Frederick to keep wars away from their land, but if not for him to still be around taking care of him, his brother would have died through the sword of an assassin. Seungi had a pure trusting heart just like his brother, he didn't want the human kid to find death through the sword.</p><p>The next day Sungmin had been calmer, yet the more he watched Seungi stopping midway his attack the vampire felt like something could still be done, Seungi knew the weight of receiving an attack, but not the weight of hitting, if the only problem was him not wanting to hurt his opponent there was still something that could be done.</p><p>Almost by the end of the day Sungmin called it a session, but other than simply sending them off Sungmin once again stared deeply in Seungi's eyes. "Seungi, do you want to keep taking this class? If what you do here goes so much against your principles, you can just quit." He tried to make the human kid feel like giving up, he had seen a small sheer of hurt in the kid's eyes, but then once again he was shutting them close before replying.</p><p>"I do not want to quit. But I do not want to unnecessarily hurt someone." Seungi said with a thin voice as if he was still battling with himself over something, Sungmin narrowed his eyes at yet a new realization, Seungi’s will was of great power, simple commands of manipulation wouldn't work on him, to control that boy Sungmin would need much more vampiric power than what he had used so far. It was rare to find such humans, even more a human that also made him think about his long lost human brother. Seungi was a finding worth the try.</p><p>"If you truly want to become a sword master you need to be able to hit your opponent, Seungi. You have to know the feeling before you actually need to hurt someone. From tomorrow onwards you don't have to come to practice," Sungmin said with finality and Seungi stared at the vampire with lost eyes. "Youngah and Hyunwoo you two are dismissed for today. Starting tomorrow you'll come here two hours earlier and practice will end two hours earlier as well." Hesitantly the two kids bowed to Sungmin before glancing somewhat worried at Seungi, who was staring at the ground.</p><p>"Leave," Sungmin ordered and the two boys jerked going away with fast steps. Seungi also moved to leave but Sungmin placed himself in the other's path. "I'm not done with you. I'm not giving up on you. Until the end of the month you'll take a different class. From tomorrow onwards I’ll teach you how to dance," The vampire said with the same final tone and Seungi stared taken aback. "Your class will start after theirs so don't be late." Sungmin added before turning around and leaving Seungi to process that information.</p><p>The next day happened as Sungmin had planned, in the first class he made Youngah and Hyunwoo duel each other and as result, he could give more attention to the small mistakes the two would make. Even though they had tried to focus, the vampire had noticed how Seungi's absence had been felt by the two, so he couldn't refrain the smirk at seeing the two human kids stare in disbelief as Seungi arrived almost by the time they were supposed to leave. "Your punctuality is admirable, Seungi-ssi," Sungmin greeted as if nothing was going out of normal. "You won't use your sword. Get those two over there." Sungmin pointed in the direction he had left the two extra swords he brought that day. The human kid did as he was told as he tried to ignore the other two, he didn't know if he would end up being looked down for being told to take 'dance' lessons.</p><p>"I'll see you two tomorrow." Sungmin dismissed the two students who halfheartedly left because they wanted to know what was going to happen.</p><p>When Sungmin and Seungi were left alone, the vampire took a few steps back as he tied his own scabbard on his belt. Seungi wondered then why he had two swords whereas Sungmin had only one but then he was left amazed as he solemnly watched Sungmin taking the sword out and with a soft click the vampire was holding two twin blades.</p><p>"This is a double sword, different from your usual sword that is mostly used for stabbing and slashing this one is mostly a slashing kind," Sungmin said as he looked quite tenderly at the blade. "Even though what I’m going to teach you is called dance of swords, I am actually teaching you how to attack. I expect you will be able to use the dance moves in your favor during a real battle."</p><p>Hearing those words Seungi could do nothing but nod. Sungmin smiled before positioning himself in front of the human kid. "I'll show you the dance moves, you have to memorize them as soon as possible." And after saying that Sungmin crouched down bending one of his legs and stretching the other, his arms following the position and then in a graceful move he stood up and twirled using his right sword to attack and his left sword to defend. After that, he continued to move and Seungi had felt slightly overwhelmed with the grace and the precision of those moves. When it was the human's turn to try the moves Sungmin laughed at the way he was trying too hard on imitating. "Don't try too hard, there's no order for you to memorize, your body has to feel the moves, with time it will feel like your body is moving on its own," Sungmin said moving closer and adjusting the angle of Seungi's left arm.</p><p>Even though by the start the human kid was pretty much clumsy, as the days passed Seungi got a hang of it and the two manage to actually dance with each other. Seungi was grateful towards Sungmin because he finally understood what he meant by it being necessary for him to feel the weight of hitting. In the dance, every attack had to reach the opponent who would always defend. At first, they repeated to exhaustion the same routine to the point Seungi's body did start to move on its own. By the last week of their month on the attack practice, Sungmin deemed Seungi ready to his next step. During their routine, the vampire attacked in a different manner and he felt satisfied as Seungi managed to defend even if quite clumsily before actually noticing Sungmin had gone out of routine.</p><p>"During a real fight your opponent won't dance with you, but if you look at him you'll be able to see his attack with much more precision. I won't follow the routine anymore, but if you do not defend any of my attacks you'll have to treat me to dinner for each miss." Sungmin announced before doing as he had said so.</p><p>When they were finished Seungi owned the vampire three meals.</p><p>After that one-month training the attack instance, Sungmin called Seungi back to the usual training hours with Hyunwoo and Youngah. It was obvious the two kids were curious about what had happened to Seungi but Sungmin knew they would soon find out.</p><p>"Starting today we'll train something crucial for a sword master. The ability to fight multiple opponents," Sungmin announced with a grin, pleased with how the kids had developed so far. "During a war, you won't face only one opponent a time, but you will have to be able to protect your core the same way. For a start you will all attack me, each day we'll have someone as a target." He didn't have to say twice and for the rest of the training hours, he kept giving advice on how to sync their attack to corner the opponent, as he kept showing them how they could still be able to defend and attack.</p><p>Needless to say, Hyunwoo and Youngah were both surprised with Seungi's new style and from that day onwards they kept protesting they also wanted to learn how to dance.</p><p>At the end of the month Sungmin was no longer seeing them as clueless scared human kids, but potential generals. They were in the middle of a session in which Hyunwoo was the target when Taemo barged in with the other three kids, he was evidently furious.</p><p>"Sungmin-ssi! What are the things I heard?! How could you humiliate my best disciples?!" Taemo thundered.</p><p>Sungmin looked at the kids and then spoke firmly to Taemo. "I've told you my style was different than yours, they preferred your style so I dismissed them."</p><p>Taemo frowned angrily. "You've told them what I teach is bullshit, so you really confirm that you had humiliated me along the line?! I am the best swordsman of the country, while you are just a dancer. I'm going to show you how much bullshit I teach." He said pulling out his sword and evidently challenging Sungmin to a death duel.</p><p>"Take out your sword and show me how much I am wrong." Taemo challenged but Sungmin just stood his ground, he had been training with the human kids with a wooden sword but his scabbard was tied to his belt.</p><p>"I only take my sword out to kill." Sungmin retorted easily. Taemo didn’t like the reply so he simply attacked; he had decided to force Sungmin to fight properly. The vampire kept moving around the hall, dodging the attacks and refraining from counterattacking as to not really humiliate further the middle-aged man, he was a human Daroll needed for his pretense and safe stay in the country.</p><p>Nevertheless, both he and Taemo heard when Youngah mumbled a soft “eight” and from then on kept counting Taemo’s moves. Sungmin smirked slightly.</p><p>Taemo got angry at the whispered numbers because he too was counting how many times Sungmin had evaded his fastest moves. When Youngah reached fourteen Taemo couldn’t hold back, he stopped in the middle of an attack to shout at the human kid. “Why do you keep counting my moves?! Shut up!”</p><p>All humans focused their eyes on Youngah as he dared smirk at his previous master, he no longer acknowledged him as such, so much he admired Sungmin’s teaching skills and abilities with the sword. The words that followed were firm but also said softly. “I’m not counting your moves, but how many times Sungmin-nim could have killed you already if this was a real fight.”</p><p>Taemo felt so infuriated with the comment he strode Youngah’s way and unleashed his sword against the kid, but the attack was fruitless because Youngah dodged, as well as Seungi and Hyunwoo who were very close to him and would also be hit if Taemo lost more of his temper. At the nobles next strike Sungmin intervened using his scabbard to halt Taemo’s sword. “I am your opponent. Let’s end this quickly, one strike.” He offered.</p><p>The nobleman took a step back and tried to compose himself, he looked at his three disciples before looking at the three rebelling kids and the dancer. “One strike. I’ll send you to hell today Sungmin-ssi, for tarnishing my pride.”</p><p>Sungmin remained impassive as Taemo took some distance, they both stared at each other waiting for the right moment to attack. Sungmin didn’t bother to get into any of his fighting positions, he just stood there waiting for Taemo’s move. When it happened the sword was used with the intention to slash his throat, Sungmin bent backwards staring up as the blade cut through air, when he was back straight Taemo had his guard completely open. With a fast movement he used his sword against the human, in a diagonal up-down move, Sungmin hit Taemo’s leg making the human stand straight to try to defend himself, but Sungmin was just too fast for that, in a smooth move Sungmin slashed Taemo’s chest making the human stumble backwards slightly opening his arms to find stability, Sungmin made use of that and in a bottom-up move he hit his sword against Taemo’s arm and finally let his wooden weapon rest at the junction between the human’s neck and shoulder.</p><p>“If this had been a real fight, you would have lost your leg, your arm, and your head. It had never been my intention to tarnish your pride, you did it yourself.” Sungmin said looking deep into Taemo’s eyes and using his powers on him to get him to act in a favorable way, he really didn’t want to bring trouble to Daroll.</p><p>Taemo sighed and accepted his defeat, offering his position as the teacher and just talking about resigning and being too old to still keep on fighting. Sungmin politely refused the offer saying that he would just focus on his weaponry from that moment onwards. The human kids didn’t understand the sudden change in Taemo’s behavior but none went against the fact that Sungmin was indeed someone to be respected and feared.</p><p>At the next day of practice he didn’t show up as he had said he wouldn’t, but after training hours Youngah, Hyunwoo, and Seungi did show up at his weaponry saying they wanted the finest swords he had there. Sungmin smiled at seeing them, he felt his un-beating heart aching sweetly at the thought that he had managed to enter their hearts somehow.</p><p>As the days passed the three of them returned quite often to the weaponry to talk with him, they kept in touch as friends and Youngah and Hyunwoo kept begging him to teach them how to dance too, that he couldn’t be so biased over Seungi, but Sungmin refused.</p><p>The months passed and Seungi ended up being the only one still showing up, still sticking like glue. The vampire learned that the human kid didn’t have many friends and that the other nobles actually had some prejudice against him because people inside his household had spread rumors about him being actually an illegitimate child. Sungmin shook his head at learning that and he promised the human he would always be there for him whatever may come.</p><p>“You are of noble status, Sungmin, of course, you will turn your back on me if they ever find a way to prove I’m a bastard child.” Seungi sulked one night as the two were having dinner at Sungmin’s house and weaponry.</p><p>The vampire laughed slightly. “There are humans that are such vile creatures they get me sick. I would never turn my back on you, Seungi, because regardless of birth status, you are my friend and I trust you. And you forget I was born a slave.”</p><p>Those words made Seungi remember Sungmin’s introduction back when Mansoo had first defied him, he thought Sungmin had just been joking back then, because he was Park Junghwa’s cousin, and from what he had heard the noble cherished him a lot.</p><p>“How could it be, Sungmin?” Seungi asked in a whisper, still somehow dumbfounded by that revelation.</p><p>“My father was enamored by a noblewoman, that woman was part of Junghwa’s family. Because of lies and betrayals, Junghwa was orphaned and he took under his wings the other kids of the family that suddenly had no parents anymore, he freed me and took me in as well. In this world I have only trusted my family, now I also trust you, Seungi. The proof is I never taught anyone how to dance,” Sungmin retorted with a smile. “Do you trust me, Seungi?”</p><p>At the question, the human kid smiled. “I trust you, Sungmin.”</p><p>Simply like that they became fast friends, but what the vampire never told anyone was how much Seungi was actually influencing him. For one, Sungmin had never put much effort into controlling his fetish for blood, nor tried to regulate his feeding routine, but the more Seungi would come visit him, the more they would talk and have fun together, the more Sungmin understood what his brothers felt towards their blood dolls. He hoped some day he could open up to the human and have him become his blood doll too, so he tried his best into controlling his feeding, trying to settle to less feeding days as he was planning to only feed on his blood doll as Chungyeol did. The more Seungi was around, the more Sungmin’s manipulative powers would fail whenever directed at the human, the more Sungmin was sure he had found a treasure, had found the one he could trust and would remain beside him through his curse.</p><p>Seungi would often help around the weaponry until the time came for him to take a test for the imperial guard. Sungmin had heard Seungi had passed with flying grades, he was expecting the human to show up for them to celebrate, he had prepared quite a feast, but at seeing Seungi’s troubled expression when the human came in, the vampire couldn’t actually tell that they would start to drift apart from that moment onwards.</p><p>“What happened?” Sungmin asked as he watched Seungi drinking up alcohol like he had never done before.</p><p>“It’s true. I’m a bastard child, my mother married already pregnant.” Seungi said bitterly as he punched the table.</p><p>Sungmin scoffed. “Seungi, I thought you had decided to ignore the rumors.” The vampire said softly, trying to take away the alcohol jar from his friend’s reach.</p><p>“It’s no rumor. I heard it from my mother’s mouth, I saw the man,” Seungi snarled hiding his face in his hands. “I saw her earlier, I was going to call her, but I noticed she was following someone, so I followed her, they went to a secluded place and she asked where the man had disappeared to, she told him with all the letters that I was his son.” The human spat and for a moment Sungmin felt falling back all the way to that night Younghyun found out about his biological father.</p><p>“Do you know anything about the man?” Sungmin asked tentatively.</p><p>“No. I left the moment I heard that,” Seungi said, picking up the alcohol jar and filling his cup again. “I don’t want anything to do with that man, and I so hope I had been the only one eavesdropping.”</p><p>With mixed feelings, Sungmin watched Seungi drowning in alcohol to forget his misery, and he had hoped as well that his friend’s life wouldn’t be ruined because of that, but that had not been the case, someone from his step father’s household also heard the confession and Seungi’s life was put through fire.</p><p>Sungmin had tried to be there for his friend but whenever they talked they ended up fighting; Seungi’s temper was flaring up like never before and slowly Sungmin started to lose hope into having Seungi accept who he really was. At one point they stopped seeing each other, Sungmin had distanced himself hoping Seungi would come look for him, but months had passed without a word, the vampire had felt worried because Seungi had ended up moving to a district controlled by another faction of nobles and above all a werewolf territory.</p><p>It had been one cold night, Sungmin had felt a strange smell and had felt his compulsion to feed coming back at him, he knew he didn’t need the blood, he knew it was an unnecessary move, but he still fed on the homeless guy. The blood had a really strange taste and made his head spin before he felt some sort of strength running through him, but then he felt movement behind him, he smelled a werewolf but he also smelled Seungi.</p><p>He turned around snarling, thinking his friend had found a really wrong hour to come look for him. He turned around with the sole purpose of not allowing any werewolf to threaten Seungi’s life, but the moment he took in the almost human-like beast, the moment he understood there was only one being in front of him, Sungmin felt like part of his world had crumbled.</p><p>“Seungi.” The name slipped past his lips in a breath, he didn’t really register that, his brain was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the one he once considered his best friend, considered the very first human he had wanted to keep beside him forever, was a werewolf, had been turned into a werewolf, into an enemy.</p><p>He had lost count of how many times he had killed werewolves through his requiem, had lost count of how many times, at facing those creatures, every ounce of him would be prepared to fight, would be prepared to kill or die, but at that moment, at seeing <em>Seungi</em> snarl at him with a sound akin to hatred, at seeing him sprint in his direction in an attack, with his claws shining in the night, Sungmin simply felt absolutely nothing. For the first time, he understood Seungi’s words while they were training. ‘I do not consider you my enemy so I don’t want to hurt you.’</p><p>At that moment Sungmin felt like crying, the human he knew didn’t consider him an enemy, but that werewolf did, that werewolf attacked. Sungmin had not noticed how he had tried to avoid the touch, but he did feel the wounds on his chest, he did know Seungi had learned that in front of an enemy you kill or you die. Seungi had learned what he had taught, Sungmin had never ever thought, though, that those lessons would be used against him.</p><p>He was confused, he was lost, he was unbearably sad. The werewolf studied him for a moment, he knew attacking carelessly would not have any effect on Sungmin, the biggest problem of all was that he knew Sungmin, or he thought he knew.</p><p>Sungmin’s brain started to function again when he smelled Younghyun, the younger vampire had gone out that night to feed, he probably got worried about the fact that a werewolf had dared enter their territory, but he didn’t know who that werewolf was, he didn’t know how much Sungmin had cherished that male. “Younghyun, get the hell away from here!” Sungmin had warned, he didn’t want Seungi to hate him more than what he already did, but it seemed impossible because Sungmin stared in a trance as Seungi avoided Younghyun’s attack, Sungmin shook his head feeling like his soul was no longer in his body, he couldn’t watch, he couldn’t allow two people he loved to hurt each other.</p><p>Bloedijs’s bite was cold, he felt needles of ice prickle his skin as the pain rushed through his body from the wound on his back, but his face remained warm, the cuts on his face caused by Seungi’s claws were warm. Younghyun shouted in panic behind him, but his voice seemed too far away as Sungmin coughed blood. He felt the younger vampire carefully taking hold of him to run away, Younghyun didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that Sungmin threw himself to protect a werewolf told him enough, they shouldn’t remain there.</p><p>The wounded vampire looked up one last time, at the beast that once was his first human best friend, he saw confusion and disbelief. Sungmin felt numb because of the pain, the only thought in his head was ‘I don’t want to be your enemy’.</p><p>Sungmin was still out of himself as Younghyun laid him on his bed, chest down. “Why did you do that, hyung? Why did you protect him?” the younger questioned but the older vampire couldn’t answer, he didn’t know why himself. Each and every member of the coven had come to ask him what had happened, why he had acted in a so foolish way, but he still kept mute, when Daroll entered the room and asked, Sungmin still didn’t answer, but he sighed somehow relieved because Daroll would know and would tell him what to do with his requiem.</p><p>The morning came and with it came the slumber, it had been a long while since the last time Sungmin had fallen asleep because he had been gravely wounded. His last thoughts went back to Mishra, how werewolves had connected him with her, how he had shared her hatred for so many centuries. And for the first time, Sungmin questioned himself, where did the werewolves come from?</p><p>Daroll fell into some kind of shock when he saw the answers in Sungmin’s soul. The memories he saw, the images of the clueless and clumsy human, the images of the strong and full of hatred werewolf, the conflicted emotions, the hidden desires Sungmin had nurtured through months. For the first time, Daroll didn’t know how to take the next step.</p><p>The following evening Sungmin woke up with his wounds half closed, he took a bath, changed clothes and prepared himself to leave, he wanted to leave that city, he knew going back to Mishra was out of question, he needed some time away to put his thoughts in order and to come to terms with what he had to do regarding Seungi. He hoped his sire would understand him.</p><p>The moment he was downstairs, the first to come to him was Elena, she cradled his face in her hands as she inspected the deep cuts ruining his beautiful complexion. Daroll had already told them that they had been inflicted on him by the person Sungmin came to cherish and that had been turned into a werewolf, she didn’t say anything though, because she knew even though those marks would disappear by the next time Sungmin would feed, they had become a scar Sungmin would carry for the rest of his requiem. The vampire smiled at the female blood doll appreciating her show of affection.</p><p>“Did you tell them about Seungi, hyung?” Sungmin asked softly lacing his fingers with Elena’s as he needed that anchor in their world as to not crumble again, once again he appreciated how protective she was of him at that moment. Daroll nodded without saying anything.</p><p>Sungmin took in a deep breath and lowered his head. “I don’t know why or how he became a werewolf, but I know his heart and even though he is now someone I am supposed to kill, I cannot do it, I cannot fight him. I don’t wish him to die in my hands nor in the hands of any of you, so please, if you stumble with him, please do not kill him, I beg you.”</p><p>There was so much emotion in Sungmin’s tone it made the older members of the coven feel like they were living something much alike of when they first found Mishra. Younghyun and Jihoon though were seeing Sungmin like that for the first time, not even when they were threatened to lose Younghyun, Sungmin had been that emotional.</p><p>“I believe we lived here for long enough to start looking for somewhere new. Sungmin, travel south and find us somewhere safe to stay, let’s all have a change of air.” Daroll then said softly, despite Sungmin’s feelings, Daroll couldn’t believe Seungi would be something like a second Mishra.</p><p>The petit vampire bowed to his sire, glad that he had seen through him, had seen his wish to flee and be able to put his emotions in check. That same night Sungmin had taken some blood from Jia and Jihoon to recover from his wounds and then left towards Zadia without a trace, he still had the tracker pass and his Avenger robe, thus was still able to travel freely through the vampire territories.</p><p>But even though Sungmin had left the coven once again, they still faced the shortcomings of Seungi issue: the werewolves invaded their territory, even though they did so stealthily and truly trying to avoid fights with the vampires. Seungi had been the one leading them, he had been to all places he knew Sungmin used to hang out, more often than not he was around Sungmin’s abandoned weaponry that Daroll still had to put away.</p><p>Daroll had given the coven and his allies the order to not harm the werewolves as he was doing a study of their behavior, the other vampires had felt confused with the mater but they had sworn loyalty and thus they tried to avoid confrontation and for a week Daroll watched those werewolves lurking around and actually <em>protecting the humans</em>. As a partly Moriaty, Daroll had used the ghosts as his eyes and through them, he could see what his Dragon eyes couldn’t, those werewolves were fighting spirits. The more he would watch the more intrigued he would be and the more he felt a turning point was nearing.</p><p>The day the werewolves marched to his porch Daroll had been faking to take his sleep, but he kept his watch as he kept listening as Jihoon hesitantly opened the door. “Is it here that Lee Sungmin lives? I’d like to… talk to him.” Seungi asked with a soft pained voice. Daroll had warned the coven to act as they had always done even if the werewolves were to approach, especially the blood dolls should act as if they couldn’t know who was supernatural or not, so the youngest blood doll felt extremely thankful towards Jia for intruding into the conversation.</p><p>“Jin, who’s at the door?”</p><p>“They are here for Sungmin hyung,” Jihoon replied the oldest blood doll before speaking to the werewolf in front of him. “Sungmin hyung used to live here, but he left a few days ago. We don’t know when or if he will be back.”</p><p>But then one of the werewolves spoke up with an unfriendly tone, harsher than what it was necessary. “Are you the only ones living here?”</p><p>“It doesn’t concern you.” Jia practically hissed those words receiving a reprimanding ‘hyung!’ shot at him by Jihoon, Daroll had to chuckle at how desperate the youngest blood doll was probably feeling, after all, he was the closest to the potential enemy. They had promised not to hurt Seungi, but nothing was agreed about the other werewolves.</p><p>Jia was about to retort something when an extremely pissed Younghyun climbed down the stairs. “Jia is right, Jin. It doesn’t concern them.” At the vampire’s approach, one of the werewolves hissed while another one ordered them to stay put. That was probably the pack’s leader.</p><p>“The two of you go upstairs,” Younghyun then ordered, Jihoon was glad to obey and run upstairs, but Jia stayed put.</p><p>“You don’t order me around, Hyunbaby.” Jia retorted and Daroll had taken that as his cue to stand up and lead that conversation to better grounds.</p><p>“Jia hyung, please, do as I say. I don’t want to suffer Chungyeol hyung’s wrath if anything happens to you.” Younghyun replied quite hopelessly because even though they were supposed to be themselves he still didn’t like when Jia decided he could tease him endlessly. But the Blood doll answered his plea at the mention of Chungyeol.</p><p>“What was it that just happened here? What kind of act are you putting?” another werewolf asked after Jihoon and Jia were out of sight at the second floor.</p><p>Yet those words had sounded like an insult to Younghyun, the vampire hissed at his ‘visitors’. “You could be politer, no? This is our territory. As far as I am concerned you’re invading.” Younghyun alerted.</p><p>The one that seemed to be the leader spoke again.“ I apologize, we are not here to fight,” Daroll stopped short at those words, the nameless came to his mind, the reason why the Artisan always said his destiny was fascinating, that Sungmin’s destiny was fascinating. “Vampire, we are here to speak with the one called ‘Sungmin’.” The werewolf leader then continued with a politer tone.</p><p>“Our sire sent him on a mission. Nobody knows when he will be back… Look, just leave. I see no reason for you to talk with my brother about anything. As I said, this is our territory and I don’t want you dogs wandering around.” At those words, the werewolves hissed but the leader once again ordered them to stay put.</p><p>“I need to talk to him. I need to know what he wanted with me.” Seungi then spoke, his angriness and frustration seeping through his tone. A friendship between a vampire and a werewolf, Daroll thought, could it really be possible?</p><p>Younghyun snorted hearing that. “Other than your blood, just your friendship,” The vampire rolled his eyes as he spoke. “You’ve hurt my brother enough! Just leave already!” Younghyun continued.</p><p>The werewolf protested. “Sungmin hurt me too!”</p><p>“Why?! Because he is a vampire? Just because he is not human?” Younghyun wittily shot back causing Seungi to grit his teeth. “A few nights back the two of you found out at the same time the other was not human. Who attacked first? Who went against his own kind to protect an enemy? Don’t you dare say Sungmin hurt you, when all he did after finding out who you really are was ask his coven not to harm you!” Younghyun continued feeling his patience limit close to the end.</p><p>“Younghyun, that’s enough.” Daroll decided to make his presence known at that very moment as he reached the stairs. The werewolves eyed him with suspicion.</p><p>“Dall hyung, you should be sleeping! It had been almost two years since the last time you slept for a whole day!” Younghyun protested clearly worried about the other’s wellbeing. At moments like that Daroll would feel bad for lying to his progeny about his lesser need for sleep.</p><p>“I’ve slept enough already. Jihoon is worried upstairs,” The vampire replied walking closer and putting a hand on Younghyun’s shoulder. “I will deal with it now, Younghyun,” He turned to the werewolves then, motioning for them to fully enter the mansion and close the door. “I apologize for both my children. Please come in and take a seat. My name is Daroll, I am Younghyun’s and Sungmin’s creator.” Daroll preceded the werewolves to the main living room taking a seat himself on an armchair. Younghyun stood behind his sire just eyeing the situation.</p><p>The werewolves followed the vampires but none took a seat. Hearing the relation between that guy and Sungmin, Seungi couldn’t remain silent. “Why did you turn Sungmin into a vampire?!” the werewolf asked then, with indignation tingeing his tone.</p><p>Daroll smiled sadly then, once his eyes found Seungi’s. “Because Sungmin was too brilliant to die over a stupid feeling such as jealousy. About seven hundred years ago Sungmin lived as an expert tactician, the king he served had entrusted him the safety of his whole kingdom, but he got falsely accused of conspiracy against the king. His brilliant mind and strong heart were given to the tigers because the other members of the court were jealous of him. I couldn’t watch his talent being depreciated, so I faked his death. I changed him with the sole wish he could help me make my biggest dream come true.” Daroll explained with a kind tone, Seungi widened his eyes at the mention of Sungmin’s approximated age and it was evident he lost himself in memories he shared with the vampire. More than ever Daroll became certain the Artisan had been expecting that day to come, had been expecting his coven to do something greater than any other coven had ever done, co-existing with werewolves could very well be what the nameless had been expecting him to do.</p><p>“What would be your biggest dream?” the werewolf leader took the opportunity to start the conversation.</p><p>Daroll smiled at the question. “To have vampires and humans co-existing. Our bite can be painless, even delightful to our preys. I see no need to kill humans, with a few exceptions such as hunters, so why can’t vampires live in harmony with humans? They don’t need to know what we really are. We can freely walk amongst them and they won’t notice we are actually dead. Why can’t vampires and humans be friends? You saw the two humans living with us? They became so special to my children I allowed them to reveal the truth, they accepted the truth, accepted our existence,” Daroll sent Seungi a firm but amiable stare before continuing. “We can feed without harming humans and they kept on living blind to our existence. It’s not impossible to co-exist. I believe the same could apply to us: we could also co-exist in peace.”</p><p>“How can that be?” one of the oldest looking werewolf asked with sarcasm.</p><p>“Isn’t it obvious? We vampires are capable of having feelings too and I guess what happened between Sungmin and your child is proof enough: My child cherishes your child, and from what I see in front of me, your child still cherishes my child. The least we could do for both of them is not invade each other’s territory,” Daroll stood up and glanced in Younghyun’s direction before looking back at Seungi who looked back at the vampire. “I can guarantee Sungmin doesn’t see Seungi as an enemy. You don’t see Sungmin as an enemy either, am I right?” Daroll asked feeling glad for being able to see that werewolf’s answer even though he didn’t seem to actually have a soul, it was something different as if it was a half-breed between a soul and a spirit.</p><p>“For five days you’ve been wandering around my territory. It was in my rights to chase you away with our silver weapons, yet we did nothing of the sort. If Sungmin had not asked for his friend’s wellbeing the outcome of your action could have been different. Can’t we use this opportunity to get to know each other’s kind better? From what I’ve seen you also don’t harm humans. Is it just your pack? I know very little about your kind despite my existence to be longer than what I wished it was.” Daroll continued looking back at the werewolf leader, once again feeling glad at what he saw, feeling actually kind of astonished with what he was finding out about those creatures he had always dealt with as harmful beings, beats without conscience or a heart.</p><p>The wolves looked at each other pondering what they had heard so far. “You know us by the name humans had given us: werewolves. Actually, we are called urathas and there are basically two kinds, let’s say the ones that sinned or the forsaken and the pureblood ones. We name it like that because our ancestor and father was a powerful wolf spirit that protected the humans, this spirit generated children with Lunna in her human form and that’s how we were born. When father wolf became weaker a few of his children committed the sin of killing him, those wolves were sent to the human world from the spirit world and were cursed by Lunna, we are descendants of those forsaken urathas and our prime duty is to protect the human kind against malign spirits or any other supernatural creature.” The werewolf leader explained.</p><p>The leaders looked at each other, then the Alpha of the uratha pack nodded and Daroll smiled warmly. “We can try co-existing. There is a huge number of spirits wandering around your territory, would you allow Wonshik and Seungi to fight them off?” the werewolf then asked.</p><p>Daroll looked at Younghyun who raised an eyebrow at his sire and then shrugged. Even if he was against it if Daroll said otherwise then his word was law. “I allow the two of them to hunt in our territory until Sungmin is back.”</p><p>Hearing that Seungi smiled surprising all the supernaturals in the room by bowing to Daroll, speaking with all the gratitude he felt. “Thank you, Daroll-ssi.”</p><p>“My name is Kim Soohwan, Daroll-ssi, we’ll keep in touch through our children.” The leader said, nodded and commanded the wolves to leave so he could pass his decision to the other members of his pack.</p><p>As agreed Seungi and Wonshik extended their patrols to cover the vampire territory, the fight against the spirits was not easy on them since they were inexperienced pups. Yet the more Younghyun and Chungyeol would see the two of them fighting, the more they could tell Seungi did learn how to fight with Sungmin. One night, the two urathas had just finished off a ridden when two vampires approached. The werewolves instantly became more cautious as they had already been followed by two familiar vampire presences, so they readied themselves to fight the other two. When those vampires sprinted and attacked, Chungyeol jumped from his hiding spot and stood between the two parties. </p><p>“Chungyeol, don’t turn your back against an enemy.” One of the vampires said with a mocking tone. Wonshik and Seungi growled lowly in reply as they felt Younghyun had also jumped out from his hiding spot but he put himself behind the werewolves.</p><p>Chungyeol tilted his head to the left with a small smirk. “I’m facing you, why are you complaining like an idiot?” he shot at the vampire, who sneered.</p><p>“I heard some bullshit about Daroll trying to domesticate wild dogs, so are you telling me it’s true?” the other vampire said pulling out his second sword. “You’re playing with dangerous things.”</p><p>“What to do? I like dangerous things,” Chungyeol shot back not phased with how the werewolves growled louder behind him. “What my sire does, doesn’t concern you. Do I have to remind you that most of the vampires in this district swore loyalty to Daroll? These two werewolves are to be treated as guests, and that’s why we are escorting them. Now be nice, put your tail between your legs and walk away like a good dog.” He ordered causing the werewolves to be quite surprised with his stance.</p><p>“Don’t interfere,” Younghyun mumbled to the werewolves as he noticed they were ready to jump at vampires when they sprinted against Chungyeol. The two pup halted shortly looking back at Younghyun, when they looked back at Chungyeol they actually took a few steps back because the scene in front of them was just beautiful in a weird way. Chungyeol was moving in fluid movements, creating illusions of himself that turned into sand whenever a foe would attack it, the older vampire seemed to be having fun as he was indeed playing with his enemies, yet it was Seungi that noticed the pattern of movements, they were not exactly like Sungmin’s dance moves but they had a similar feel to them and it was with grace that Chungyeol actually decapitated those vampires.</p><p>“You are really untrustworthy creatures,” Wonshik growled once the fight was over. “How can you fight your own kind like that?” </p><p>Chungyeol turned around as he heard that, an amused expression on his face. He had talked with Daroll for hours about that matter, had looked at their situation from every possible angle and he hated to admit that if the future the old hag has been blabbering about since their first meeting really had something to do with those werewolves, then Chungyeol really wanted to see where that would go. The Artisan had promised they would do something unimaginable and more than ever Chungyeol wanted to see that future unfolding before his eyes. Those kids, Mishra was probably something like a prophecy, he had learned how to trust the untrustworthiest clan among the kindred clans, why couldn’t he learn how to trust werewolves? </p><p>Sungmin had been proclaimed a rough diamond, had been his first brother, despite not showing it, Chungyeol loved Sungmin the most, he had babied Younghyun the most, but Sungmin would always be special. “Loyalty is something I value the most, but I only know loyalty to my coven. Whoever raises a hand against my sire, my little brothers or our blood dolls shall find death, that’s my motto,” And saying that he pointed his sword against Seungi. “You have found an important spot inside Sungmin’s heart, because of that I didn’t kill you when you came back looking for him. I have one question for you, though, did he teach you how to dance?”</p><p>Wonshik had growled when Chungyeol did that, but he could feel the sincerity seeping from that vampire’s tone, the question though only made sense to Seungi, who nodded, his eyes going downcast as he remembered those days with Sungmin, remembered why he had been taught how to dance. Chungyeol nodded amused and then pointed his sword to Wonshik. “No wonder you are a better fighter than this kid,” But then he looked past the werewolves and laughed, causing the werewolves to face the younger vampire curiously. “BabyHyun, don’t be so jealous, Sungmin did teach you how to fight.”</p><p>Seungi had felt surprised when he heard Chungyeol speak right beside his ear. “Sungmin has never taught anyone else how to dance, you were his first student.” Those words had made Seungi feel special, he remembered how Sungmin had refused to teach Youngah and Hyunwoo how to dance, but it also made him further depressed for hurting his best friend, for not trusting what they had lived together.</p><p>Months passed and when Sungmin was back none of his coven members told him about the co-existing pact. The petit vampire was feeding on a human girl when he was once again interrupted by the werewolf he once called a friend. They eyed each other for a moment before Sungmin broke the silence. “Are you hunting me? I don’t want to fight you, Seungi. Please… for the friendship we once shared leave my territory… I don’t want the members of my coven to hurt you.” </p><p>Those words were fuelled by the vampire’s pain, by a subtle wish he could turn back time and make himself never go play around with Taemoo’s students. Yet unexpectedly for Sungmin, Seungi morphed back to his human form, a clear statement that he was not there to fight, closing the distance between them and wrapping the vampire in a tight hug. “I trust you, Sungmin. I promise I won’t doubt you again. Daroll-ssi allowed my presence here until you’re back. We are not enemies. I still want us to be friends… The best friends we were before…” Seungi poured his heart to the vampire who held his friend back. </p><p>“I want it too, Seungi… I certainly do.” Sungmin replied feeling his pain lessen but not enough to disappear completely. Yet he did feel elated that despite the hate that had always existed between their ‘races’ the two of them could still hold on to each other because of the sincerity of their feelings.</p><p>A few days after Sungmin was back, the vampire coven and a few members of the werewolf pack reunited at the werewolf territory. Of course, the vampires had gone there at night and without their ‘human’ status as to not raise unpleasant disturbs in the human society, as the country was practically entering a period of civil war. It was quite amusing in Daroll’s point of view, while humans hated each other for their castes; vampires and werewolves were trying to find a common ground.</p><p>When the vampires arrived at the werewolves’ house they were quite surprised at smelling humans there, a woman and two kids, they didn’t comment on it though, as something even more unexpected was awaiting for them. On Soohwan’s back there was a spirit, it was in human form, the body was that of a child around ten years old, her hair was extremely long with an ethereal shine and her eyes were shining purple, she had her legs wrapped around the werewolf’s waist and her arms around his neck, she was looking amused at the visitors.</p><p>“Vampires, today we shall define once and for all where we stand,” The alpha declared once they were all sitting down. “Can we trust your kind?”</p><p>Daroll looked shortly at Sungmin and then replied as politely as he could. “Of course not. My ‘kind’ is not trustworthy; outside my coven, I do not trust anyone. But for all my word is worth, you can trust my coven. As I told you before, my dream is to live in peace among humans, not many vampires share this belief, not even those that had sworn loyalty to me. In my existence, I had killed many vampires and werewolves alike and in the future I’ll keep on killing, but my weapons will never be raised against your pack, or against those you tell me not to harm.”</p><p>“All because your child cherishes my child?” Soohwan asked, quoting the words the vampire had used in their first encounter, with a little bit of disbelief. Daroll nodded. “Why? Why should I trust your coven or your dream?” the alpha questioned next.</p><p>The oldest vampire smiled sadly. “Because my child befriended your child when he was human, because your children, while staying in our territory saw how we live, how we fight and what we fight for. We value our human emotions like no other vampire coven does, why can’t we co-exist in peace?”</p><p>After he said that the spirit climbed off Soohwan and walked to Daroll looking at him curiously. Then she looked at Sungmin who was sitting beside Seungi. All eyes were on the spirit, as she walked to the petit vampire, cradled his face in her little hands and smiled, something wicked in it. “I like thee.” She suddenly said and then she was nestling on Sungmin’s back pretty much like she had been doing with Soohwan, completely stunning the werewolves.</p><p>“Vampires, as I told you before, our mission on this earth is to protect humans from any supernatural harm. We had been forsaken by most of the spirits, some of them seek our extinction, but some of them still reached a hand and offered gifts.” Soohwan said solemnly and then pointed at the spirit. “She is Sulolia, the spirit of this city. She is our Spirit Totten, the source of a few of our powers. She made a pact with us, her gifts in exchange for keeping the humans safe so they can keep this city alive and growing, our territory is sacred, with much effort we had been able to secure this district, our pack is only strong enough to protect this small part of the city, as long as you do not harm humans inside our territory we can co-exist.”</p><p>Daroll looked shortly at the spirit and how she seemed to really like Sungmin, he didn’t know if he should be happy or not with that, but the rule that had been set was easy to live through. “Then we will co-exist for a long time,” Daroll replied bowing slightly. “Seungi is welcome to visit whenever he wishes to, just be aware that our coven is not the only coven living in this city, but our weapons will always be on your side.”</p><p>The atmosphere was still tense inside the room, but later as the two groups continued to live as they had always done, whenever their paths would cross, their bonds would just strengthen. Sungmin was most of the time lurking around the werewolves as Daroll had expected and the vampire had been the first supernatural experience in the turning point of other werewolf cubs.</p><p>The vampires learned that indeed werewolves could only mate with humans, Soohwan had married a human and had managed to keep her under his roof, protecting her and his two kids from the truth of what they really were, but the other older werewolves, his siblings they learned later, had no such luck as they fell in love with humans they were not allowed to marry due to human society and it was always dubious if the kids those women had were theirs or not. </p><p>When Kangdae, Soohwan’s firstborn, changed, it was something they were all half expecting. Seungi had acquainted them five years before that happened, so one full moon night, when Sungmin came by to visit - expecting to find a moody Kangdae who would be ready to break things and get exhausted by training martial arts with him - he actually was met with a tall grey werewolf he had never seen before, the reaction had been different than that with Seungi. Sungmin was already suspicious because Seungi had been annoying before he changed, so he was not as surprised and not as worried he would have to fight for his requiem.</p><p>“Kangdae-ah! Your fur has a really cool color! Just like your father!” Sungmin greeted with his usual easy-going tone, it had of course completely confused the werewolf. At their first change they inherit the knowledge their ancestors had passed through, and in that knowledge was that vampires were to be eliminated. Wonshik had wanted Kangdae to have put up some more fight before accepting to have Sungmin petting him like a dog when he was in his urshul form, but then again no-one could deny how much Kangdae had always looked up for Sungmin and Seungi and Wonshik had felt slightly put aside as the three of them would often hunt together.</p><p>A few years later Sungmin’s talent came in handy for the werewolves to help identify that a kid by the name Gwangjin was a potential werewolf cub, a younger cousin of the pack’s cubs.</p><p>“Are you sure he is my son?” Joowon asked the vampire as they were watching the human kid pass by in his fancy noble attire.</p><p>“I am positive. He doesn’t smell like a werewolf, but neither did Seungi or Kangdae, as Sunhi also smells like a human, but it is a given, humans have delicate smells divided into three parts: they smell a bit of their mother, of their father and something that is their own. And I definitely smell you in his blood, I have never been wrong before, and I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I’ll never be wrong about this.” Sungmin guaranteed and from that day onwards the werewolves kept the human boy under surveillance and indeed a few years later he did suffer his first change also during a full moon.</p><p>Gwangjin had been acquainted with the vampires and he had learned that he could trust that particular coven, being a reserved male and despite being a full moon warrior, Gwangjin ended up spending much more of his time with Wonshik instead of lurking out with the vampires, what the oldest cub had extremely welcomed.</p><p>Four years later Soohwan had requested for Sungmin to once again help them with his accurate sense of smell. The matter though was much more delicate than finding potential cubs around the capital, Soohwan had requested help in locating his younger sister, that had suddenly disappeared. Yoora had left the coven a few years before the co-existing pact had been established and Sungmin politely replied he would try his best into locating her.</p><p>“She had been enamored of a human before she vanished, they said?” Daroll asked softly after Sungmin told him what the urathas had requested of him.</p><p>A search by the smell after so long would be fruitless, so their best bet to find her would be to find the human she had fallen in love with. “Yes, his name was Lee Youngbae, from Admiral Lee’s family tree, as of what they told me, but he was on the poorest side of the tree.”</p><p>Daroll nodded at the information and promised he would try his best into locating him for Sungmin, meanwhile the petit vampire continued to stalk with Seungi and Kangdae another potential cub, a boy by the name Chanhyeok.</p><p>It only took a few days for Daroll to find the whereabouts of the human, and with the information in hand, Sungmin offered to assist the pack in finding their lost member, or at least another potential uratha cub.</p><p>“You say her companion moved to a village by the ocean?” Soohwan questioned with a soft worried tone because Sungmin’s expression was not a happy one.</p><p>“Yes, we’ve contacted a few vampires living there and we confirmed that he had moved there eighteen years ago, he had been appointed as the magistrate of the city, but we’ve heard some curious information about him, it’s said that he had adopted an orphan that had been left at his doorstep, a newborn baby. There are rumors going that the baby is actually his bastard son, that the baby’s mother had intentionally left him there.” the vampire replied with a heavy heart.</p><p>Once, in a talk with Seungi and Kangdae, he had asked why Sunhi was kept over such hard surveillance and why there were no female urathas in their pack, maybe it had been that question of his that gave Soohwan the idea of asking his help, back then Sungmin had been told that female urathas are the most unstable because being pregnant was an extremely vulnerable estate, it’s said that female urathas often only have one baby because it’s always highly unlikely that they can form a family with their companions, because of that they often ended up dead after giving birth.</p><p>Soohwan first sent a letter for the werewolf pack living in that village to tell them about the potential cub that actually belonged to them. Surprisingly, a reply came that indeed Magistrate Lee’s son had just recently suffered the first change and he was being trained into their pack, but a hard negotiation had taken place because the cub was a cahalith, a kind of uratha they didn’t have in their pack and that they didn’t want to let go, after all, seeing the future was something they would gladly welcome.</p><p>The negotiation had taken months, but fortunately, they ended up accepting to hand in the boy after another cahalith cub was found by them and thus Joowon and Huangyi traveled there to bring Younghae home. On their way back the three werewolves were attacked by a group of vampires. Since they had been close to the capital the ethereal bird guarding them had been fast in notifying Daroll about the danger and thus the coven rushed to their aid, Younghae could hardly believe it when he was saved by Bloedijs.</p><p>Months later, when Younghae had pretty much adjusted himself into the new pack and actually ended up quickly getting fond of the vampires as well, two things happened: Chanhyeok suffered his first change and Daroll announced the vampire coven would be moving south to Yeonji.</p><p>Sungmin and Younghyun had been quite reluctant in leaving, but they eventually left, wishing the urathas lucky into dealing with the upcoming civil war the humans were getting themselves into.</p><p>If Daroll had wanted to, they could have stayed longer, but the human society was changing quite fast and because of that it was getting harder to stay longer at the same place, but in truth he wanted to test that pact with the urathas, he wanted to see what would happen if they would spend a few decades apart, if they remained loyal to the pact then Daroll would take that as it truly being what the Artisan was expecting of them, and he would devote himself into figuring out where that could lead them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Achtste Lied – The Eighth  Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adjusting at Yeonji had been easy as it always was, Daroll decided not to go too far - three days of running without rest was enough to be back at Socheon’s capitol - he did that because he could feel how restless Sungmin had been when they left, how sad his eyes became as he would no longer be able to spend time with Seungi or Kangdae.</p><p>Daroll had felt sad for the petit vampire, Sungmin had never shown so much interest in a human before and, despite having seen the memories in the vampire’s soul, he still could only imagine how much Seungi’s transformation had hurt him and how the fact that he would never be able to keep them alive for as long as his requiem would go would keep on hurting him in the future.</p><p>For roughly thirty years they had lived in peace despite the humans to be constantly living in war after war, from time to time Sungmin and Younghyun would sneak to visit the werewolves, but at one point something rather strange happened. Sungmin had gone alone to visit the uratha pack, but a month had passed without news from him, so Daroll sent Younghyun to bring Sungmin back. Another two weeks had passed without the two sending signs of life, so Daroll sent Chungyeol to find out what happened to his younger brothers. Everybody was starting to get worried, at those times of war they had always maintained communication.</p><p>It had taken only a couple days for Chungyeol to find Sungmin, who had been stalking a mansion.</p><p>"Sungmin, tell me what the hell is going on," Chungyeol demanded holding his arm, alarming the petit vampire because he had been overly stealthy. "Younghyun had left two weeks ago with the strict orders to get your ass back home. You two were supposed to be back days ago, how did you manage to make Younghyun disobey an order from Daroll?" Chungyeol added feeling frustrated with how lost in his own thoughts Sungmin seemed to be, that was highly unlike him.</p><p>"I found <em>her, </em>hyung. And Henry is her son." Sungmin replied. The stressed word and the pain in his expression made Chungyeol understand of whom Sungmin was talking about. After Younghyun's mother, Daroll kept his promise of not interacting with her next reincarnations, that was the fourth reincarnation after Hyunwha.</p><p>"Henry? The waiter Younghyun hired for Jihoon’s restaurant?" Chungyeol asked dumbfounded. That cheek boy who applied with his girlfriend for a job was what? Chungyeol released Sungmin in favor to mess up his own hair.</p><p>"Yes, him. But that's not what is bothering me right now, hyung. There are actually a number of things irking me. Have you noticed? The span between her reincarnations is widening and I believe her soul is changing." Sungmin said, his expression turning sour as he lined up his memories of the reincarnations he knew.</p><p>"What do you mean her soul is changing, did you have problems recognizing her?" Chungyeol asked once again alarmed. But Sungmin shook his head.</p><p>"Not at all, the moment I laid eyes on the lady I felt she looks like my aunt. It's her personality, her view of the world, her view on <em>love,</em>" Sungmin answered looking up and searching for Chungyeol's eyes. "For as far as I remember, in all her reincarnations, despite what kind of life she had, one thing was always present, she yearned for love, she always loved her husbands, loved her children, or she was desperately searching for love. But this reincarnation..." Sungmin shook his head at that, looking down at the ground as if he was looking for the right words to use. "In this reincarnation, she married for money and status, she does not love her husband, Henry is her only child and she practically speaks of him as a product she must sell to the right buyer." Sungmin tried to explain.</p><p>"That's impossible." Chungyeol countered, that sounded overly absurd, he simply could not believe it.</p><p>"Younghyun said the same thing, that's why we stayed longer, so I could show him how much she has changed. And even though Daroll hyung had kept his distance, you know I didn't, you know I kept watching over her, I interacted with her and I think I might have actually been the cause of her change. As much as Daroll hyung has been looking for her, she had been looking for him, but as far as her soul is concerned for four reincarnations Daroll hyung has given up on their love, if she had not seen any of us she might still be the same, just more desperately searching for love, but she saw me and she knew I would tell, she knew he would come, he was supposed to be there but he didn't show up, her soul doesn't believe in love anymore." Sungmin blabbered, it was clear he had thought about that for too long, obsessed about that while looking after her. "It's my fault she is like this… how do I fix this, hyung? I might be the cause Daroll hyung will never have his wife back."</p><p>At those words, Chungyeol pulled Sungmin into his arms. That had scared Sungmin, he had never seen Chungyeol hug anyone but Jia and Elena. "Don't ever say that again, Sungmin. Nothing is your fault. I believe you do have a point, but what if she had not seen any of us anymore? What if her soul had been thinking we had been killed and that we no longer know about the link? The fact that she keeps seeing you might as well be the only chance Daroll hyung will have to get her back. Elena didn't believe in love when I first found her, making someone believe in love is the least of our problems, letting her soul know we are looking for her is what matters, when the time comes and we get her back, she will understand. Our sire is our priority. I need to see her, she needs to see us."</p><p>Sungmin smiled. He had hardly seen that side of Chungyeol and he felt soothed to know his older brother cared so much about his insecurities, believed so much in his judgment. “She lives in this house, Younghyun is paying a social visit, he is using Soohwan’s status to make the connection, pretending he is our uncle,” Sungmin replied, nodding at the house. “The werewolves don’t know why we approached her, they think it’s just to expand the business. Don’t think we should tell them about this.”</p><p>“Agreed.” Chungyeol nodded, looking at the house, trying to sense Younghyun from that distance while kindly letting go of Sungmin.</p><p>"There is another thing I am worried about," Sungmin added, firmly holding Chungyeol’s arm.</p><p>"What now?" Chungyeol asked because Sungmin expression turned from worried to slightly pissed.</p><p>"Henry,” He said curtly. “From what I could get from his mother, he used Guifei’s love for him to escape an arranged marriage, she was a servant in his house so when he claimed in front of his fiancé that he loved the housemaid the skies almost broke down. His mother did everything she could to pull them apart by sending her away and engaging him into yet another wealthy family. He resolved the matter by eloping with Guifei. What are the odds of having him show up where we had decided to settle?" Sungmin tried to sell his point.</p><p>Chungyeol's expression darkened.</p><p>Jihoon had opened a restaurant and amongst the resumes the blood doll had selected Guifei to be one of the assistants in the kitchen and Henry to be a waiter and occasional violin soloist, he would replace Younghyun whenever the vampire had to run errands for Daroll, like fetching Sungmin back home from his escapades to the werewolf territory. The couple had been working with them for months, Jihoon was all praises for Guifei’s cooking, Henry was hardworking, and apart from knowing how to play the violin, he didn’t seem to be a wealthy kid. Everybody liked them, until that day, in Chungyeol’s eyes, they had been common humans that sooner or later they would leave behind.</p><p>But Henry was someone much more important, someone they shouldn’t have recklessly interacted with. What if his mother was to find him? What if she was to end up face to face with Daroll? His sire had put so much effort into letting her live her lives. Why couldn’t they find her in time? Why couldn’t they end that damned curse? Chungyeol looked into Sungmin’s eyes.</p><p>"For an old hag's sake, this must be one hell of a coincidence." Chungyeol declared, telling behind the lines that he understood their problems must indeed be bigger.</p><p>“I hope so too, but hyung… I am afraid of what Younghyun will do now. He had always been fond of Henry, he had told me before he felt some sort of connection with him,” Sungmin looked back at the house. “He is in there, talking to his mother’s reincarnation for the first time. I have a bad feeling about this situation.” He confessed.</p><p>Chungyeol could only look at the house and wonder. It took about half an hour more for Younghyun to exit the place, making a beeline into Chungyeol’s arms. He didn’t say anything tho, he was overwhelmed.</p><p>“You know we need to go back, right?” Chungyeol asked after a moment of holding his youngest brother. Younghyun nodded but didn’t break the embrace, he even held on tighter. All his pain would also be his father’s later on. Taking a deep breath Younghyun let go about a minute later.</p><p>“Let’s go. I already said my goodbyes.” Younghyun stated, then set on a run, his brothers ran behind him not saying anything but sharing a meaningful glance.</p><p>When they arrived back home, Younghyun tried his very best to avoid Daroll, he almost succeeded, he was just two steps from his bedroom when Daroll asked what had taken him so long. And the oldest vampire saw into his progeny’s soul.</p><p>Daroll saw Younghyun’s conversation with Sungmin, his days stalking his mother’s reincarnation before he finally tried a direct approach, offering his business card. The conversation he had with <em>Henry’s mother. </em>All the pain he felt because of it. In Younghyun’s eyes that middle-aged woman looked like a younger female, a beautiful loving mother of a little girl, a devoted wife of a farmer. A woman who, much like his memories of his mother, exuded love from every pore. But <em>Henry’s mother </em>disregarded the word love. She despised it. What had hurt the most was she talking about Henry as if he was dead, then holding Younghyun’s hand and saying she wished she had a filial son like him, who would help her grow her fortune as he was helping his father. He felt sick when he heard that, even more, when she asked if he was married, because she could help find him a wealthy bride. Younghyun was torn between asking Henry to try and patch things up with his mother, or if he should help the human escape even further.</p><p>For all he saw in Younghyun’s soul, Daroll wished his son didn’t have to face that. He should have sent an ethereal bird to find out why Sungmin was taking so long to be back, or he should have sent Chungyeol right away instead of Younghyun. He shouldn’t have thought his progeny was also missing his werewolf friends. Younghyun shouldn’t know his own pain. Daroll walked to Younghyun and put his hand on the younger’s head.</p><p>“Your mother is who she really is. Don’t waver in your pain. Stay true to your heart and what she taught you.” Daroll said softly, Younghyun turned around and held his father.</p><p>“One day we will break this curse, one day we will make things right.” Younghyun knew what he was supposed to do. He would stay true to his own heart.</p><p>The next day, he went with Jihoon to the restaurant. For the day he spent watching over Henry and Guifei, looking at them anew. Wondering what they had gone through. He had so much to say but he didn’t know how to approach it, mostly because every time he built up his courage he would see Henry doing something corny for Guifei.</p><p>It ended up taking three days for him to ask Henry into his study for a private talk. Henry was quite goofy, thinking Younghyun was going to be true to his promise of showing him his music room. When he found himself surrounded by bookshelves his smile diminished into something polite.</p><p>“You called for me, Younghyun?” Henry took a seat on the other side of the table as Younghyun silently indicated.</p><p>“Henry… I met your mother when I was in the capital a few days back.” Younghyun decided to be blunt, his heart putting his mother on a higher priority line.</p><p>“I think you are mistaken, sir,” Henry spoke dully, his smile vanishing completely. “I am an orphan.”</p><p>Younghyun sighed. “I had tea at your house, I saw the photos. Let’s skip the lies,” The vampire retorted, his tone composed and calm as he played with a pen. “Your mother was quite sad, she just found out her son is dead. Whatever she has done against your relationship, I think it’s meaningless now that she believes she has lost her only son. Maybe this is an opportunity to make things right, maybe if you go back now she will accept you both.”</p><p>“Whatever she has done?” Henry asked with a small snort. “With all due respect, sir, you don’t know what my mother made Guifei go through, so you have no ground for speculations. I believe this matter is none of your business, so I will pretend this conversation never happened.” The human stated and promptly stood to leave.</p><p>“She said she wished her son had been as filial as I am,” Younghyun said softly. Those words made Henry stop. It was very clear that the human was furious with what he had just heard. “I can’t get that out of my head, because it made me remember the day my mother died. My beautiful mother whom I loved so much, I remembered her last words as she was dying in my father’s arms,” Henry frowned at that unexpected turn. “It is true, I don’t know what happened, but can’t you try a bit more? Can’t you make another effort into reconciling?”</p><p>“I will apologize again, sir, I can’t do it. It is for the better that she believes I am dead. For as long as she does, Guifei will be safe and we can be happy.” Henry replied with a bow, he turned around to make his leave.</p><p>“Please, Henry, maybe now she will accept you! I could see the pain in her whenever she talked about you, always subtly comparing us in her comments. Please try again. I will help you, if it doesn’t go right I will help you get away somewhere she can’t find you, but please try again.”</p><p>Henry stopped once again messing his hair. “That woman will never accept Guifei, she never hoped for my happiness but her own crazy fantasies of more riches,” He said turning around. “I won’t get anywhere close to her again because if I do I might lose my soulmate. Since you know nothing, but seem to be so adamant on fulfilling a crazy internal delusion, let me be clear with you, sir, the reason I left and will never go back is because my praised mother tried to kill Guifei twice, and she failed both times because I was lucky.”</p><p>Younghyun felt goosebumps all over as if a soul had touched him. His mother did what? Henry left the room after those words, Younghyun couldn’t think of anything else to say. Younghyun wished he could cry, that he could shed tears and rip that pain from his chest. Why did his mother change so much? Was it really their fault? Both his and Daroll’s? She asked to be found, she wanted to be taken in and loved once again, but they kept her at bay, only hoping they could find her at the right timing to break the curse.</p><p>Using Henry’s love for Guifei to open her heart was an option he didn’t have, and then what could he do? He was sure he couldn’t allow his mother to destroy her son’s happiness, but that meant not saving her soul from that loveless chain. He wanted to help both his mother and his brother.</p><p>A week after that conversation, Henry's mother showed up at Daroll's doorstep searching for Younghyun. Soohwan had given her the address not knowing that could put the vampires in a tight spot. That day Daroll had been out with Chungyeol while Jia and Elena were at their tailor workshop, so fortunately only Younghyun was home with Sungmin.</p><p>They received the lady, keeping up their façade. She was there with a few portraits of possible candidates for a bright and wealthy marriage for Younghyun. The vampire once again felt like crying, his mother had once done the opposite, helping him escape countless marriage proposals. Somewhere along the talk, while Younghyun pretended to be considering the brides, Sungmin left the house, running to the restaurant to warn Jihoon.</p><p>The restaurant was not open yet, but Henry had been about to open the doors for the day. Without saying anything, Sungmin pulled the younger all the way to the kitchen. "We need to hide you and Guifei, your mother decided to pay Younghyun a visit," Sungmin said curtly.</p><p>Guifei visibly paled, even losing her grip on a pan, which startled the kitchen staff when it fell on the floor. Jihoon, who had already been told the whole story of Daroll's wife, promptly opened the door to his office, where they had hidden and entrance to an underground vault. Both Jihoon and Sungmin urged the couple to go and hide in there.</p><p>At lunch, Younghyun arrived at the restaurant with Henry's mother. They had lunch, still conversing about his options of brides, she was still talking about the pros and cons of each business partners. The couple was only allowed out of the vault when Henry's mother was out of town, on her way back home. Younghyun felt exhausted, but Sungmin still added to his worries. "I think you should know, Guifei is a few days pregnant."</p><p>That settled it. Younghyun would play an adopted son, trying his best to appease Henry's mother, trying to give her the love of a filial son, he would take Henry's place and prevent her soul from ruining Henry's life.</p><p>But it wasn’t long after Henry and Guifei were allowed back out of the vault that the young man came looking for Younghyun. His expression was quite neutral, but it was clear he held a certain degree of anger inside of him as well. And the reason why was made clear soon enough, when Henry reached the vampire and instantly spoke up.</p><p>“Sir, why was my mother looking for you?” Although Henry was clearly trying his best to stay polite, he was having a hard time keeping the anger over this strange turn of events out of his voice. After all, Younghyun had only recently suggested to him to make things right again with his mother, perhaps this was the elaborate continuation of that same plot.</p><p>Younghyun looked at the human with resigned eyes. "She came to give me the list of brides she had selected for you. Since she had no use for it anymore, she wanted to dump it on me," the vampire replied picking up a random book from a shelf. "If you are wondering she still thinks you are dead, and you won't have to worry she will show up again."</p><p>Henry felt stumped when he heard those words. He simply snorted, making a sort of half surprised, half rebuked face. He wanted to believe Younghyun, after all, they had been sort of friends until a few days ago, but the respect he had for the older male crumbled considerably the last time they talked.</p><p>"I am sorry, Henry. I was out of line last time," Younghyun broke the silence, hoping he could act on his plans. "You've always reminded me of a past mistake, a deep regret I carry in my heart. But your mother made me think of my own and I sincerely hoped you wouldn't need to carry regrets as big as mine," Younghyun sat on his desk, holding on to the book, he looked firmly in Henry's eyes. He didn't use any of his powers, he only wanted his sincerity to reach the human. "If you think the best outcome was your mother believing you are dead, then I will make sure it stays like this. I will also help you and Guifei to have a prosperous life. Once I asked you to see me as an older brother you could rely on, I still want you to."</p><p>There he went again, talking about a regret he carried, Younghyun had said once that Henry had the courage he lacked, that he did what Younghyun refrained from, he never truly specified, but Henry believed the other was talking about his courage to elope with Guifei. Now Henry was starting to think that was just another lie.</p><p>"What exactly is this regret, Younghyun?" Henry challenged then. "You wanted to go against your mother but didn't because you were too filial?"</p><p>Younghyun frowned in pain. "My mother told me to marry the woman I would fall in love with, to never marry for convenience. She died before I found that woman. The one I wanted to marry was promised to another man. She was the one that didn't want to go against her family because she was too filial. And I let her go because I loved her too much. As the years passed I came to regret that choice. I regret not trying harder to change her mind into eloping with me."</p><p>Looking at the older male with something akin to doubt in his expression, Henry just stood there for a while, considering the options, what to believe. It was so easy to believe Younghyun, but there were warning bells going off in his head every time he did, telling him to be careful because the man might be lying. He didn’t know what to think or feel about this man, but there was a part of him that <em>wanted</em> to trust him.</p><p>There was nothing he could say anyway, to such a story of loss and heartbreak. What did he know about giving up the person you love exactly because you love them? Nothing. He fought with tooth and nail to keep Guifei, and he had her now. He could live a life with her without his mother trying to interrupt, without anyone trying to get in between them again. There was honestly nothing more he could have wished for in life. And Younghyun didn’t get that, he didn’t get a happy ending.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” was, therefore, all he managed to say. “I’m sorry you lost her.”</p><p>Younghyun smiled, a sad note into it. After so many centuries, he still needed to find Mio's reincarnation. From time to time he wondered if he had bypassed her. Clearing his thoughts, he found the strength to reply. "I will help you, Henry, for as long and how much as I can. You have a happiness I can never have, and I will help you protect it."</p><p>It took a few moments of silence longer for the young man to nod his head, a small smile starting to bloom on his features once more. “Thank you, Younghyun,” he spoke after a moment, the gratitude clearly sincere.</p><p>Younghyun stayed true to his words, he kept in contact with Henry's mother in order to keep her from finding out her son was still alive. While he played his part he forced himself to meet several brides-to-be, then he did his ultimate best to nitpick them for a clean rejection of the proposal.</p><p>Back home, as per Younghyun's request, Jihoon tried his best to give Guifei lighter chores while he also got Henry to work full-time as a soloist, giving him a new higher paycheck for the job.</p><p>Everything was going well, the vampire regained fully the human's trust, and things were more than set when Henry's mother informed Younghyun she would be moving back to Eglaria for good, she detested that land and the memories it evoked. Younghyun parted ways with her, hoping that on her next reincarnation she would once again believe in love, or at least support her children's dreams and love.</p><p>It was around the same time that Guifei finally noticed she was pregnant. At first, the human couple had feared, surviving with only Henry's paycheck would be hard especially with a child, so she tried to hide the pregnancy at first, but as the symptoms started to hinder her work at the kitchen Younghyun had no other option but to fire her from the restaurant. Yet by then the human couple should have felt less worried about their future, they should have learned by then that Younghyun and Jihoon wouldn't be heartless with them. They gave Guifei a high severance pay, and a direct recruitment into Jia's tailor shop where she was put in charge of embroidering his creations and with a higher pay as well from what she received at the restaurant.</p><p>Henry thought he had done something very good in his previous life to have met such kind people, and slowly he got to know better that strange young family of accomplished entrepreneurs. From time to time he would visit the main house to practice the violin with Younghyun or alone, finally being allowed into the younger vampire's music room.</p><p>It was one of those days of practice, Henry had arrived earlier and he was told the young master had gone briefly to the capital but was expected to arrive that same day, Henry could either wait for him at the study room or get from the same place a copy of the music room's key.</p><p>The young man decided to wait in the study room. Although he had gotten closer to the other male, he still didn’t feel like he could just walk into a clearly private room like the music room all by himself without supervision. Which is why he ended up sitting in one of the chairs in the study room, looking at the books on display.</p><p>That was when he noticed the titles of the books were in the least strange, like "Vultures Of The Void" or "Dragons Of Destruction", one of them particularly called out to him, it read "Learning From The Graveyard", the one directly beside it read "Book of Souls", that one was quite large and particularly big, as if it was an atlas of some sort, but souls?</p><p>Curiosity piqued, Henry moved from his chair to head over towards the bookshelf, to give the spine of the book a closer inspection. He didn’t feel confident enough to pick it up from the shelf, however, but the more he looked at it, the more intrigued he became. Until he actually picked up a book called "Chain of Ascension" and started flipping pages. The content was even weirder, it was written in older Socheonese so he could barely understand what was written, each page had a title and a few words scribed. He stopped at a page titled "Mirror Watch" and the lines were few, it read something like "Stand in front of a mirror and chant the incantation: oh Mirror of Souls, reveal the one this soul desperately wishes to see. With mind's eye, focus the image of the desired person surrounded by the ethereal bird."</p><p>Frowning at the strange words, Henry leafed another few pages further through the book, wondering why anyone would have books on this type of thing. Was Younghyun into witchcraft? The older male didn’t seem to be the type, but as Henry had learned long before, looks could be deceiving.</p><p>It didn't take much longer for Younghyun to open the door, asking forgiveness for making Henry wait so long, but when the vampire saw Henry holding on to that Moriaty spell book he panicked inwardly. "Found that one interesting?" Younghyun asked lighthearted, giving the human a small smile, after seeing what spell Henry had been reading. "Those spells are quite useful," he added making a beeline to his desk where he had stored the music room spare copy.</p><p>Henry’s eyebrows automatically raised at the words and he couldn’t help himself as he audibly scoffed. “Yeah, in the crazy people’s home,” he retorted sarcastically, closing the book and quickly putting it back in its original place. “Why do you even have these?”</p><p>Younghyun scoffed back, "because they are useful." the vampire said, handing the key to Henry then walking to a mirror he kept in his study. Standing in front of the mirror, Younghyun chanted the incantation. Henry's human eyes couldn't see an ethereal bird flying around Younghyun a few times before it flew into the mirror, but he did see Younghyun's reflection vanish and the slightly blurred image of Jihoon working in his kitchen, ordering around his assistants. Younghyun then turned to Henry with a smirk. "See?"</p><p>The younger male’s eyes instantly widened in surprise, as he backed away a few steps out of reflex. Unable to believe what he was seeing, Henry’s gaze flickered in between the mirror and his friend a few times before he continued staring at the image of Jihoon working in his kitchen.</p><p>Wanting to show off a bit more, Younghyun closed his eyes again, he recited the incantation a second time, now thinking about Guifei. The ethereal bird carried his wish to the mirror and soon enough Jihoon's image was replaced for that of Guifei, she was with Elena at the workshop, chattering about something while embroidering a handkerchief.</p><p>As if even remotely possible, Henry’s eyes widened more at the sight of his beloved wife together with Elena. Unable to stop himself, the youth took a step closer to the mirror, then another. Until eventually he had one hand on the surface while leaning forward to check behind the mirror for anything to help explain this strange occurrence. “Wha…” He uttered, disbelieving, as he straightened up again to look back at Younghyun. “How did you…?”</p><p>Younghyun smiled amused, "There are many mysteries in this world, Henry. This is how far my regret took me." After saying that, the vampire easily picked the book from Henry's grasp and walked back to the bookshelf. After placing the book back in its original spot, Younghyun pulled down a curtain to hide that particular bookshelf. "My longing took me this far, yet I still can't do what I truly want. For this spell only works to see the living."</p><p>Henry swallowed at the shift in the older male’s expression, remembering the way Younghyun had spoken of the love of his life and how he’d let her go. Had he meant into death? The thought caused another frown to appear on Henry’s face, soon followed by an expression of sympathy. He stood like that for a while, quiet and contemplating, while Younghyun covered the bookshelf from sight.</p><p>“I’m really sorry,” he found himself saying once again, despite how useless the words seemed to be. There was nothing to be said to relieve the pain that he knew the other must be feeling, the desperation he could only imagine he would feel if in some way he would lose Guifei. There was nothing to offer as comfort. And so Henry averted his eyes back to the chair he’d been sitting on earlier, soon letting it wander over to the door of the study room.</p><p>"Would you do it, Henry? If you could use a spell to chain your soul to Guifei's would you do it?" Younghyun asked, wondering if it would be ok, he had two options, be frank with Henry about what he is or just pretend he is very good at witchcraft. "If I knew how to do it back then, I would have done it. At least I would be sure we would meet again in the following lifetime. I keep wondering if I will be able to recognize her when the time comes." then he looked back at Henry. "Would you do it?"</p><p>Henry sputtered at that, a few sounds leaving him without becoming actual words. “I… I don’t…” Blinking a few times at the other male, he found himself at a loss for words. It took a few more moments of silence before he managed to recompose himself. “I… I don’t know.” He took a deep breath, straightening up a bit better again, fully facing his friend once more. “If there is such a thing as a next life… I…” Once again the silence fell between them, Henry thinking it over. Thinking of <em>chaining</em> his soul to that of his beloved, but something about it sounded a little too violent, too final.</p><p>“I would want to make sure she’d be alright with it too,” he then replied honestly. “But it sounds rather final. I don’t want her to be unable to meet someone new, someone who might be better for her in another life.” He blinked, wondered about the situation some more no matter how surreal it all seemed to him. Reincarnation was a belief some people had, but sounded unreal to his ears. Especially when adding to that the thing about souls and ‘finding each other again.’</p><p>“I don’t know if I would do it, Younghyun. No matter what I do, the life we have would be over once one of us dies anyway.”</p><p>Younghyun nodded, that had sounded a little like Jihoon, back when the truth was revealed to him. As a human one's lifetime, the present, is what matters. As a vampire, his own lifetime revolved around wishing the future would arrive, that his beloved's next lifetime would come and they would have another chance.</p><p>"I guess sometimes I can really forget how to think as a human," Younghyun added laughing at himself, but then looking at Henry. "Ask her, and after coming to an agreement you can look for me again, but make it soon. We are thinking about moving to another city by the end of the month." After saying that Younghyun moved from his spot, landed a hand on Henry's shoulder and beckoned him to the music room.</p><p>“I- What?” The human once again questioned in utter confusion, frowning at the older male. Younghyun said a lot of strange sounding things so he shouldn’t consider it weird, but there was a limit to everything, and this time around, Henry had no idea what exactly the older male meant.</p><p>"Oh another thing, after we leave, Jihoon will donate you the restaurant and Jia will donate Guifei the workshop. I think you two can make out of it a cozy home for three. And if you want I have some instruments I could leave you. " Younghyun added, his tone became cheerful as they moved out. Once they were inside the music room, Younghyun looked after Henry, who had bypassed him into the room and sat on a chair, a doubtful expression. "Or would you prefer having this house and the restaurant?"</p><p>By that question, the human’s mouth was opening and closing without producing any sound, like a fish on dry land. It took a few more moments, his eyes meanwhile still wide in disbelief, before he could manage to produce anything sensible again. “What… What are you talking about, Younghyun? You guys are leaving?” Staring at the older male, Henry couldn’t entirely comprehend everything he’d just heard. “Giving… us…? What?”</p><p>It took a few more blinks and a stern mental reminder to get back to reality for Henry to have proper control over himself again. “I don’t understand. You want me to tell you if I want you to… link… My soul… To Guifei’s? It… I… What? What’s going on? Are you making fun of me or something? You’re just messing with me, right?” Starting to frown again, this time Henry was eyeing his older friend with something akin to distrust, certain now that Younghyun was just being ridiculous for the sole purpose of confusing him.</p><p>"Of course not," Younghyun replied with a hurt expression. "Every time we move we leave those that worked with us the properties and other stuff, when moving we have a limited amount of space so we bring only what is necessary, Jihoon and Jia want to leave the restaurant and the workshop for you, so you can have a stable life, I can give you some instruments may it be necessary for you later, and since I can why not offer you what I couldn't have? I hope every day to find my beloved again as I worry every day if I had bypassed her, I see how much you love Guifei and I hoped that you could have this assurance of loving in the next lifetime." The vampire blabbered, wishing with every word to just be fully frank with Henry, with his brother.</p><p>Henry shook his head, still confused but for different reasons now. “Even if there is such a thing as people being reborn, she’d still have to come back into this world, then grow up to be of proper age again, you’d be old by then!” He really couldn’t understand what his friend was talking about, and even started to worry a little that Younghyun might actually be insane.</p><p>"I can wait for all that to happen, Henry. Since I am a vampire." Younghyun said, allowing his eyes to shine red for a moment. "In fact, I have been waiting for her for five hundred years. You wondered why I was so shaken because of you and your mother, that is because a long time ago your mother was my mother, once I had been human like you, now I am a vampire." and saying that Younghyun closed the door to the music room.</p><p>The human backed away instantly at the sudden flash of red eyes, his expression mirroring the sudden fear he felt inside of him. In his haste to get away from the other, suddenly very threatening, male, he stumbled over the chair he’d been sitting in before, landing not so softly on his behind on the hard, tiled floor. He grunted at the painful sensation shooting up his spine, then quickly looked at the older male once again to make sure he wasn’t being devoured yet.</p><p>There was nothing in his mind other than the fear for the first couple of moments, but as Younghyun just continued standing at the door and laughing at his reaction, his erratic heartbeat slowly calmed down. And not long after his fear made way for indignation. “Why would you do that!?” He instantly protested, clambering back up on his feet. “That was <em>not </em>funny, bro!”</p><p>Younghyun felt relieved hearing that. "What did I do?" Younghyun asked, "Would you rather have me open my mouth and show you my fangs? You would have fainted not stumbled." he countered taking a seat on the piano stool.</p><p>“That…” And once again Henry was faced with the fact that Younghyun was really telling him none of this was a joke or an elaborate way to make him upset, but it was all simply the truth to the older male. “You…” More sounds that weren’t words, before he eventually found himself just kind of giving up on trying to make sense of any of it. “So, you’re an over five hundred year old grandpa?” He therefore questioned, breathing out a deep sigh to help himself let go of the last remnants of his fear. “No wonder you need me to do everything for you.”</p><p>"Ya! If I am a grandpa Chungyeol is a mummy!" Younghyun retorted, not daring using his father's name on that joke. "Of course I order you around so I can spend my days playing music or pestering Jihoon." It felt new, to reveal his true identity to a human he wouldn't keep, but that was his little brother even though they were lifetimes apart. Younghyun suddenly felt light.</p><p>It was those words that made Henry realize that indeed; if Younghyun was a vampire, so were all the others. Eyes widening once again for a split second - because Chungyeol was already scary enough without the added bonus of insane strength and speed - he reached out to the chair he’d tumbled over to take a hold of it. Partly to put it back in its place, partly to use it as an excuse to have something to lean on just in case his legs would give out on him after all.</p><p>“You’re a vampire…” He repeated once more, voice soft. “And you… Want to link my soul to Guifei so we can meet again in the next life?” That part needed a little more thinking over. There was a very high chance of either of them dying, what with the current war their country was going through. And nothing was ever safe. If their masters were going to leave, Guifei could even die in childbirth - a thought so horrid he could only linger on it for a small moment.</p><p>“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t know if I can ask her about it. I don’t think she would believe me.” He blinked for a moment, wondering over the possibility for a little longer. “Would it hurt, this… Chaining?”</p><p>"No," Younghyun shook his head. "It's a simple spell, we need just a cup of water and a few drops of blood, hurts as much as treating indigestion, or if you'd allow me to bite her finger she would feel nothing at all. Vampire bites only hurt if we want it to, I always make Jihoon think of his parents and the joys of the time we first met when I feed on him. Jihoon, Jia and Elena are humans," Younghyun explained. "Want to give it a try?" at that Younghyun felt tempted to show off his fangs, but he refrained, Henry was frightened enough.</p><p>“Give what a try?” Henry retorted in a slightly higher voice than usual, indicated how shocked he was by Younghyun’s proposal. “Drinking blood?” His expression quickly turned into one of disgust at that thought and he quickly shook his head. “No thanks, I’m good.”</p><p>Younghyun made a face. "I meant to let me bite you," he retorted. "As for the spell, the taste of blood will vanish because of the spell, it will simply taste like water. Usually this spell is done with other beverages like wine, but water is better for Guifei."</p><p>Henry frowned a moment longer. “If she needs to have her blood drunk by you I guess I still have to tell her. I don’t know how she’ll take it.” He frowned for a moment longer, then sighed. “She’ll declare me crazy, I bet.”</p><p>"Henry, I won't drink it, you will drop the blood on the cup. I will chant the spell and then you both will drink it. I won't drink anything, I will just officiate the rite."</p><p>“Still, hyung, what am I gonna tell her? ‘I just need to put our blood in a cup and then we need to drink it.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Oh, just, for… Reasons.’” He rolled his eyes at the taller male. “That’s gonna go over well!”</p><p>Younghyun couldn't refrain from laughing. "Henry, Henry, you are complicating things unnecessarily. When you saw those books you certainly thought I was into witchcraft, what this pretty much is. From what I saw from the mirror, while stalking Jihoon, Guifei seems to believe these supernatural things to an extent, just casually bring it up to her. 'Today I found out Younghyun is into witchcraft, and he knows of a spell that can make us meet in another lifetime, would you like to try?' I am almost sure she will say yes, especially if you guarantee nothing bad will happen to the baby. If she still doesn't believe I can do it, then I can show her the mirror spell." the vampire showed off his point of view.</p><p>Frowning deeply at his old friend still, Henry needed a few more minutes, but eventually the logic of Younghyun’s words was too hard to deny, and so he heaved a sigh. “Alright. I’ll ask her,” he agreed with a nod of his head. Absent-mindedly, he rubbed the sore spot on his behind as he made his way over to the violin. “But first I’d like to play a little music, to forget how much my butt hurts and how much the world has changed.”</p><p>The vampire laughed again. "Take the key with you, you can come play whenever you want. I will go pester Jihoon, now,” after saying that he stood from the piano stool and walked to the door. "Oh, also remember to ask her is she wants to live in the workshop or here, we need to set the paperwork." and after saying that, the vampire left.</p><p>Henry did as he was told, taking the key with him and heading over to the violin so he could play it a while to take his mind off of the more worrying things he’d been told that night.</p><p>Still, later that evening when he found himself heading to bed with his beloved, he couldn’t help remembering Younghyun’s words, and so he soon decided to tell her about his strange day. Explaining to her the books he’d seen and that Younghyun was apparently into the occult, he explained to her that the older man had offered to perform a spell to bind their souls together, a harmless little thing that definitely would not hurt the baby.</p><p>He also told her that he felt like it was the least they could let the older man do, especially considering the fact that apparently their bosses were thinking of leaving them the workshop and the restaurant when they’d be moving on in not but a month’s time.</p><p>Guifei was obviously very surprised with all she heard, but since the moment they started working together with those people she somehow felt they were different, they felt like angels sent down on earth to help people like them. Since she herself was superstitious, she was already prone to accept, but what made her heart swoon was the fact that Henry wanted to do it, she could see the glint in his eyes. And she thought she had been so lucky. Guifei looked at Henry and remembered all they had been through. It had hurt so much at first, that he was just using her, taking her love for him as a weapon against his family. She had been sure they would have to part ways after "eloping". She had been stunned when he didn't, when he promised he would take care of her. She was elated to see him change, to see her feelings being reciprocated. They married, they vowed to be together, now he was proposing again, to love her beyond what they knew, why would she say no?</p><p>It was only a few days later when Guifei and Henry were with Younghyun in his study. They had been the only ones in the mansion, all the others had been out, setting everything for their departure. Younghyun instructed them on the rite. He put a small glass of water in front of them on the table, then he offered a needle to prick their fingers. Henry did it first, three drops of blood in the water, then Guifei did the same. After that Younghyun spoke the words, it seemed another language, they couldn't comprehend a word he said, but they saw the reddish tone of the water disappear. It became a crystal clear liquid once again. Younghyun offered the now enchanted water first to Guifei, who took a gulp, then Henry finished the glass. The humans didn't feel any different from before, but somehow Younghyun's smile made them feel assured.</p><p>The days after that passed too fast. The house had been emptied, the workshop became a humble residence, the restaurant gained a few more instruments. Everything was set ready for the goodbye.</p><p>"I am not sure when, but I will try to come visit you. I need to see this kid making you go crazy," Younghyun stated, he was the last member of the coven to give the couple his goodbyes. "We are going to Nishinari, so it might take a few years before we can see each other. We will definitely keep in touch."</p><p>Guifei was pretty much in tears, she could no longer say anything, but she did give Younghyun a tight embrace, Henry took hold of the older male as well for a short hug, then gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder as he released him. “Won’t miss you the least bit, hyung,” he stated with a light grin, not wanting to get too sappy about the goodbye.</p><p>Younghyun grinned, took a few steps back and waved childishly. Then he joined the others, they would have a long way to reach the nearest city from where they would leave on a private vampire ship to Nishinari. They were only a few miles away from the city when a bomb exploded behind them. Younghyun immediately looked back, worried for Henry and Guifei. "I am glad I chained them," the younger vampire mumbled to himself, hoping his spell had not taken effect yet, the two needed to live long happy lives.</p><p>Daroll looked at his son with a frown. "What did you do?" he asked sternly and then he saw Younghyun officiating a Moriaty slavery spell as if it was a wedding, but doing it on an incomplete note. At that Daroll had no doubt, he ordered the coven to stay put and only for Chungyeol to come with him. The eldest vampires rushed back to the city, hoping the bomb had fallen anywhere but close to where they lived.</p><p>Dread took over though, when they saw the bomb had really hit their district. They searched the area, finding the remains of the workshop. They could hear two weak heartbeats inside the crumbled building. Trying to get to them they removed some of the rumble. Guifei was covered in blood, she had no means of being saved, but she was still reaching out for Henry, who was bleeding a few meters away. Daroll reached Guifei first. "I am so sorry, so very sorry, but hang in there just a while longer, please."</p><p>After saying that Daroll asked for Chungyeol to watch over her while storing some of her blood in a magical vial, Henry would need to drink it. Chungyeol quickly grabbed a piece of stone and performed the spell to create the required item. He also asked her for forgiveness as he collected some blood oozing from a wound.</p><p>Meanwhile Daroll quickly bit on Henry's neck, drinking as much blood as he could. Then, when he felt Henry's life was a breath away, he tore his wrist and offered his blood. Henry was forced to swallow a first time, by the next second the vitae was already working on him, getting him to drink on his own. While Henry drank, Daroll used a different incantation from what Younghyun had used, it was called Embracing Gift and was meant to give a a human slave to a newborn Moriaty vampire.</p><p>"Give me her blood." Daroll ordered, extending his free hand to Chungyeol. His firstborn didn't know why exactly Daroll was suddenly embracing Henry, even more with a Moriaty spell, but he knew not to question. But instead of giving the vial to Daroll he quickly got closer and poured the content of the vial in Henry's open mouth as both bloods fell in together. Henry drank it to the last drop of her blood, then the change fully began.</p><p>Henry fell unconscious as his soul started to burn. Chungyeol picked Henry on his back and exited the rumble. Daroll stayed with Guifei, until her last breath, assuring her they would meet again, they would love again, they would have the happiness that had been brutally taken away from them. Guifei died without fear, filled with hope and dreams. Daroll took her body, so they could bury it later.</p><p>When the two vampires rejoined the coven carrying those bodies, Younghyun felt faint, his heart felt too heavy. Both for Henry and for his father, he could tell his brother had just been embraced. "Let's go to the prince's hideout." Daroll ordered. Everybody was confused with the sudden turn of events, but nobody dared question, they knew Daroll would never act on baseless whims.</p><p>Since the war began, the Vampire Prince had ordered that underground stronghold to be built, so vampires who had their properties destroyed could reassemble their resources. Once the coven had been set in their own quarters, Henry was placed in a room alone, Elena and Jia were asked to guard his transformation. Sungmin was to guard the door and Jihoon was to stay with him. In another chamber Daroll severely scolded Younghyun for his misuse of the Moriaty spells.</p><p>"You can't perform a slavery spell on humans without giving them a master!" Daroll told him, knowing well that Younghyun was not fully to blame, he was still learning about that bloodline.</p><p>"Why? There was no back page warning on that one, why this one can't be used solely on humans?" Younghyun asked, confused.</p><p>"That spell is a variant of Blood Dolls, for the Moriaty, Younghyun. If you had added your blood when performing the rite everything would have been fine, Henry and Guifei would have died and met you again in a following lifetime as your chained slaves. But if there is no master or if the vampire they had been chained to dies, their souls are obliterated once they die. That is why I embraced Henry, to avoid not giving them another chance." Younghyun was stunned by his father's explanation, he had just wanted to help the couple, not destroy them like that. Younghyun didn't know how he would face Henry later.</p><p>It took two days for Henry to wake up to his first night of requiem. When his eyes fluttered open the first thing he saw was the highly decorated ceiling, with paintings that reminded him of Eglaria. Then came the burn in his throat and an unbearable thirst.</p><p>“Welcome back. Here starts your eternal existence. You’ll live your own requiem.” Henry heard Elena's voice, he heard her heartbeat, he felt tempted to take in her blood. But a wrist was placed in front of his mouth and he was already biting on it, only after being momentarily sated did he noticed what he just did and who he had drank blood from.</p><p>Recoiling instantly, Henry found himself in the other corner of the room despite having been in the bed just moments before. “What?” He questioned, only to feel the strange rasping of his throat again along with an urge to go back to that wrist and drink more. It made no sense.</p><p>His eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for a sign or explanation but coming up empty. He also didn’t even recognize the room altogether. It reminded him of nothing he’d seen around the mansion, restaurant or workshop. “Where am I?” And then a new thought came up, the most important one of them all. “Where is Guifei?”</p><p>At that point, the door beside him opened and Daroll walked in. He didn't say anything, but Elena and Jihoon immediately left the room, closing the door so the elder could quietly talk with his new progeny. Once the door was closed, Daroll got on his knees, facing Henry. "Guifei is dead, so is your unborn child." Daroll spoke softly, and Henry’s world ended.</p><p>He crumpled to the ground like a bag of rice, no strength left in his legs despite his newfound abilities. His eyes stayed on the vampire leader, but the agony in them was so all-encompassing that it was clear there was no conscious thought left in the newly created vampire’s mind other than the fact that his dear wife was gone.</p><p> "Henry, I am sorry for your loss. And I am deeply sorry I didn't notice what Younghyun was up to. I am sorry I had to turn you into a vampire against your will." Daroll spoke again, his voice was sorry, emotional for he had broken his own rules to save their souls.</p><p>Something about his words seemed to jumpstart the new vampire’s mind again, because Henry’s eyes slowly flickered over Daroll’s face before becoming more aware again. “What did Younghyun do?” He instantly questioned, anger as well as fear battling with each other even in the sound of his voice.</p><p>"The rite he performed for you, if he had added his blood then, you would be dead now with her, would be reborn at the same time in another lifetime and would certainly be close to us again. But because he didn't add his blood, your souls were almost destroyed, he didn't know that spell necessarily required vampire blood. If I had not found you in time, you both would have ceased to exist. I had to turn you into a vampire so I could save your souls." Daroll explained, carefully watching his newborn progeny.</p><p>Surprisingly it was something akin to relief blooming in the vampire’s expression, but it was only a momentary flicker before the devastation of losing his wife and child settled in every single line of his face again. Sagging against the wall a little more, Henry’s eyes lost focus once again, as one of his hands moved to clutch at his chest, a silent scream ripping his insides apart as he buckled over with the inner pain.</p><p>Daroll knew that pain all too well, and there he hoped Henry wouldn't follow on his footsteps. He wanted to let the younger mourn, so he needed to say all he had to say. "We recovered her body from the rumble. This place can be her burial ground, if you would like it. We've prepared everything and were waiting for you to wake up to proceed with the burial."</p><p>It took a while for Henry to be able to respond to those words, but when he did, it was with nothing more than a nod of his head. Something had changed about the young man from then on. Even though he eventually lifted himself off the floor again, a part of him had stayed with his wife and unborn child, the vampire becoming only a shell of his former human self.</p><p>Daroll escorted him to a room nearby that seemed to be some sort of private cemetery of sorts, there was a whole wall marked with tombstones, only a handful were empty. In the middle of the room there was a rectangular stony coffin, Guifei was laying inside, covered with strange blue flowers that didn't seem to belong in their world. Much later he learned that Daroll had gone over to the Souls' Realm to pick up those flowers, there he had met with Guifei's soul and explained everything to her in detail.</p><p>Henry's first week as a dragon resumed itself with sleeping and laying on the bed doing nothing. For all those days he didn't talk with anyone, and the others simply let him be, they let him mourn. But when that week was over Henry was called out to Daroll's room, where the whole coven stood, vampires to the left, blood dolls to the right and Daroll sitting up front on a desk. Henry stood in front of the desk, feeling his body didn't fully belong to him as each of Daroll's orders made him move apparently against his will.</p><p>Up on the table four scroll had been placed on a vertical line. After looking at the items, Henry looked at his sire. "Henry, you have been embraced in a vampire bloodline called Dragons. We are called the Masters of Weaknesses. Our prime ancestor created what we call the Draconic Tiers. Four mighty spells that makes us the closest vampires to human kind."</p><p>After saying that, pointing one by one, Daroll explained what each Tier could do. "This one will help you overcome sleep, as you master the Tier you will need less and less time to sleep. This one helps you overcome the sun, as you know we can freely walk under the sun, unlike other vampires who are weak even to luminescence. This one helps you tame your thirst, as you master it, you won't feel the need to drink blood everyday, it varies, but there is the chance you would only need to feed once per month. This one allows you to half-resurrect, as you master this Tier, you can live of human food, grow hair and nails, regain a healthy appearance and ultimately have your heart beat again, but you would still need to drink blood, at least once every month or in the very least become a fan of rare steak." Daroll dared that very small joke.</p><p>Simply looking at the scrolls on the table and listening to his master’s words, Henry gave a short nod of his head at Daroll’s explanation, the joke seemingly completely passing him by. There was little to no emotion in his expression still, and he merely waited to hear why he had been summoned to this room with everyone present and what was expected of him now. He didn’t even look at the other people present, merely eyed the oldest vampire and waited.</p><p>"These are your copies, learn in whichever order you want," Daroll told him, voice still soft, he could see Henry needed to find a purpose, or he would be just an empty shell. Daroll had been like that when he was forced into this afterlife. "For reasons, we are also partly Moriaty, a vampire bloodline that can control souls and dead bodies, we can't do everything a full Moriaty can, but if you would like to learn, maybe you can visit the Soul's Realm. Since Guifei's soul is chained to you, it is easy to find her. With time she will reincarnate close to us, and when the time comes you can break the chain, and eventually you can end your requiem and meet with her in yet another lifetime. But until she comes back you need to live. Until she comes back you cannot die, or she will perish with you."</p><p>That last bit of information did spark a hint of emotion in Henry’s face and he temporarily lifted his head a little more to be able to look at his sire. “Perish with me…” He repeated the words in a soft tone of voice, clearly not asking any questions but just taking in the information given. Then came another nod of his head, before he gathered up the scrolls on the table and held them in his arms.</p><p>“Was there anything else…” A moment’s hesitation, Henry clearly trying to figure out which way he was now supposed to address the older man. “...Sire?”</p><p>"We will move to Nishinari tomorrow night, Jia prepared some cloaks for your use. We will live there for a while, then we will probably come back to the capital. Once we get there your training will start. You can choose a mentor between the three." Daroll pointed to the vampires in the room. "For now if you need blood, ask any of the blood dolls. For now that is all. Henry, we are not just a vampire coven, we are a family. And I hope you will learn to see us as such."</p><p>The young vampire nodded once again, his gaze momentarily going in the direction of the vampires pointed at but never really looking at any of the three before it went back to Daroll. “I will try, hyung,” he stated, raising his arms with the scrolls in them to indicate what he was talking about. Waiting a moment longer to see if anything else was required of him, Henry then quietly turned around and left the room the same way he’d entered.</p><p>He went right back to his room, where he displayed the four scrolls on his bed. At first he considered trying to start with the one to lessen his bloodlust, but he realized it really didn’t seem to be all that hard to deal with, and so he reached for the second one that had instantly caught his attention; the resurrection scroll. To revive his senses and be able to eat regular food; to live more like an actual human again - still. It was all he could hope for.</p><p>For the rest of that night the members of the coven had let Henry alone once again, when the sun rose he fell asleep, when he woke up again only Daroll and Chungyeol were there, the others had already moved to the nearest port where a private ship had been waiting for them. The older vampires guided Henry out, ready to make sure the smell of human blood wouldn't lure him into something unexpected. But the youngest, even though he could smell the blood, didn't feel a compulsion to follow it.</p><p>Daroll and Chungyeol had been slightly surprised. Chungyeol ran ahead, Daroll told Henry to follow and the sire kept himself slightly behind the newborn. Through the whole path Henry didn't stray and they reached the port effortlessly. In the ship, Henry was guided to a room completely safe from the sun, and throughout the crossing Henry stayed alone, reading and meditating his chosen scroll.</p><p>After arriving in Nishinari, the coven moved to a small city at the base of a mountain, they were received by another vampire coven that ran a traditional hotel.</p><p>"Daroll!" Mishra shouted happily, but she actually ran directly into Sungmin's arms, giving him a short kiss on the lips, then she moved to Younghyun, inspecting the vampire from head to toe before she patted his head, only then she bowed at the one she had actually greeted. "My house is your house." she stated.</p><p>The meeting of the two covens was chaotic, Sungmin was clearly the link between them, but the way the other vampire leader was hugging Younghyun non-stop, he seemed to be another important link. Only after her progeny was acquainted, did all eyes turn to Henry. "This is the new one for whom you requested the basement room. If you need anything feel free to ask. I helped train both Sungmin and Younghyun, so I can also pamper you, baby dragon." she said with a soft smile, Daroll had already sent a messenger ahead explaining the situation, so she refrained to ask anything about his embrace.</p><p>All Henry did was give another greeting nod of his head, but then shake it lightly. “That won’t be necessary,” were the only words to leave his lips, but to those who knew him, his aversion to the entire idea was more than clear.</p><p>"Tomorrow night will be your first day of training, Henry. Can you please show him his room, Mishra? So we can all settle and we need to talk." Daroll said then, Mishra clearly stiffened, but she called the newborn and they walked all the way to a basement room which had its access almost hidden in the woods at the base of the mountain. All the while Mishra kept talking to herself, asking if she had done something wrong. Whenever Daroll said they needed to talk was because she did something she shouldn't.</p><p>Henry walked along with the vampire in silence, allowing her the time to mutter to herself about whatever might need some clearing up in her own mind. When they reached the basement room, he thanked her for the directions as well as the room before proceeding to enter it and close the door behind him so he could get back to studying his scroll.</p><p>Mishra went back to Daroll and for a while the Dragon Sire explained in better details the circumstances of Henry’s embrace and the role Younghyun had played in it. Mishra new then Younghyun had to be her priority for as long as they stayed there.</p><p>The next night, right after waking up, Henry was guided to the woods. There, Mishra, Daroll and Chungyeol explained the purpose of his training.</p><p>"In order to survive we need to see what kind of abilities you have. Daroll and Younghyun have a higher sense of hearing - be careful with what you mutter to yourself," Chungyeol explained, making a face at all the times his sire and his younger brother had made fun of him. "I have a higher sense of sight, Sungmin has a higher sense of smell. Now we will judge in which category you fit in."</p><p>"Mishra has sent some of her coven members into the woods, they are of a vampire bloodline called Gangrel, they can shape shift into animals, one of your missions is to find them. Jihoon, Elena and Jia are also scattered in the mountain, you will also need to find them. Mishra and I will follow you to judge your progress. Once the tasks are complete Chungyeol will teach you how to hunt, it has been too long since your first feeding, your thirst must be bad, right?"</p><p>Henry shrugged his shoulders after a moment’s contemplation. He hadn’t really undergone any trouble because of this so-called thirst for blood, nor did he feel very inclined to attack someone for blood. In fact, the thought of it still disgusted him quite a bit. Sure, there was a heavy itch-like feeling in his throat and it felt a little raspy, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Which is also what he replied to his sire. “It’s actually not so bad. I mean… I can still handle it.”</p><p>Chungyeol and Daroll eyed each other with surprise, but Mishra threw her hands up with a big sigh. "I really hate you dragons, really do." and after saying that she shape shifted into her usual red fox form.</p><p>"Go on." Daroll told Henry, who turned around, closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His senses quickly picked up a familiar set of smells, to his left was Elena, to his right was Jihoon. He wondered to which one he should go first, but then he heard some rustles and sensed another scent, it was sweet but different from the vampire scents he knew. Then he made a comparison, that smelt a little like Mishra. Thinking he could win two points with a single choice he ran in Jihoon's direction. When he got close he could see a fox preparing to jump on the blood doll.</p><p>Feeling a sudden burn in his heart, Henry jumped against the vampire and kicked it away from Jihoon. The vampire wailed then turned back into a human form. Kaede grunted. "You could have been gentler, newborn strength is no joke." she complained but then showed a thumb up. "You pass."</p><p>From there, Henry went back to where Elena was. That had been easy, but finding Jia and the other three gangrels had been hard. The blood doll was hidden in a cave, and the other gangrels kept trying to run away from him, he still had to catch one when he started feeling dizzy, that was the first sign he needed to go back for the sun was closing in. Daroll deemed the first training over and Mishra escorted the newborn back to the basement.</p><p>The conclusion of that training was that Henry had a good sense of smell, but a higher sight range. Also he didn't seem to have any lust for blood. Which was a first in Daroll's book. The only explanation he could come up for that was that the Moriaty spells might have something to do with it.</p><p>As promised, the following night, Chungyeol was the one picking Henry from his basement. "Which scroll did you start with?" the vampire asked even before they were out of the room.</p><p>Henry looked at the older male for a short moment, as if considering whether he should reply at all or not, before speaking up. “The resurrection one.”</p><p>"Then I am not the one to teach you how to hunt, from what we've seen you won't lust for blood. You can slowly learn with our blood dolls, how to bite. Did Younghyun tell you back then? That our bite has a special touch to it?" Chungyeol replied taking a seat on Henry's bed.</p><p>The question made Henry think back, but somehow he couldn’t remember anything past that moment when Daroll had told him his wife and child were dead. And he automatically jerked away from that memory as if burned by it, instead shaking his head quickly. “I don’t seem to be able to recall much from…” He hesitated again, but then finished his sentence. “...before.”</p><p>Chungyeol nodded. "I see. I can't recall much either, my before." Chungyeol thought back, when he became a vampire he had been filled with rage and wish to avenge his brothers in arms, to free his people from that tyrant, but from his daily life he couldn't remember much. "Our bite can be painless, when feeding from a human you can make him feel nothing, or you can make him feel whatever, see whatever, like a daydream. Your first feed was on Jihoon, but your mind back then was blank, only the instinct to feed was making you move, because of that Jihoon felt nothing when you bit him. When feeding on a stranger you need to fill that person's mind with whatever, that will result in your prey not noticing what happened. After biting you need to lick the wound, that will close the mark and no trace of you will be left behind. But again, if you keep practicing the scroll I believe you can safely feed only on our blood dolls. That said you don't need my classes. So I will throw you into Sungmin's arms."</p><p>Henry already felt the disgust rise in his throat at the talk of biting and blood and licking a wound closed again, so he was glad when Chungyeol dismissed the subject stating if he continued practicing his scroll there would be little need for it. So he gave a small nod of his head to the last words only and then turned to look at the door for a second, as if expecting said vampire to come through it right away.</p><p>"You won't have classes tonight," Chungyeol stated. "Sungmin is out playing with Mishra. Do you have any questions? Any story you want to know? The tales about how we met Mishra are very entertaining. If not I can explain what you should expect from Sungmin's class."</p><p>Attention returning to the older vampire, Henry shook his head lightly yet again. “That’s alright, I think I’ll just get back to my scrolls,” he stated in the same even tone of voice he’d been using ever since he started his requiem. It was clear he was only speaking to any of the others out of a strict sense of politeness and not because he enjoyed the social interaction like he used to do.</p><p>The following night the one to knock on his door was as expected Sungmin. He didn't beat the bush, with a simple ‘follow me’ he took Henry to the hotel kitchen. There was a myriad of smells there, everything felt familiar and simultaneously so distant. He had small flashes of his work as a waiter, but mostly focused on the different smells every time he opened the door to fetch a dish.</p><p>Some of Mishra's progeny were working as waitresses, some staff, mainly the cooks, were human. Sungmin picked up two jars of white powder and without warning put one of them underneath Henry's nose. "What is this?" was his curt inquire, then he let Henry smell the other one.</p><p>Henry frowned, he did sniff on it, then replied softly "Salt on the left, Sugar on the right?"</p><p>Sungmin made a face at his reply, he sniffed the two jars with a small "Really?" then left the item on the table. He didn't explain anything, and guided Henry to the second floor of the hotel's restaurant where clueless humans were having dinner. Again Henry didn't feel prone to attack anyone, instead he was just looking around blankly. Sungmin then started to point people out, asking if Henry felt anything different on smells between two men, or two women, between adults and kids.</p><p>The newborn vampire replied every question with either yes or no. Not long after Sungmin deemed the test was over. "Your sense of smell is weird. If we single out humans, you are a normal vampire, but when it comes to recognizing vampires and blood dolls through the smell, you are outstanding. Plus you can still distinguish salt from sugar. You are one confusing newborn."</p><p>Henry glanced over at the older vampire at that declaration, and once again simply nodded his head. “If you say so, hyung.” And once again he just stood there, waiting for whatever would come next.</p><p>"You are dismissed," Sungmin told him, wondering when Henry would start to open up again. "Tomorrow Younghyun will take you to the woods, he will teach you how to fight." and after saying that he grinned and walked away.</p><p>Accepting that news with another nod of his head, Henry then turned away as well so that he could head back to his room and once again continue his study of the resurrection scroll. But as soon as he stood up he saw someone he knew entering the restaurant, it was a blond girl by the name Silke. He had met her only once, years back when his mother first started searching him a bride. Why he remembered her was beyond him, but it came clearly to him. He was set on rejecting her, but as soon as he sat down at their dining table she smiled and said "Get lost. I am not marrying you even if you wanted to." That was the easiest moment of his human life. Leaving that behind, Henry went back to his safe basement for the needed meditation.</p><p>The next night Henry expected Younghyun to be there to pick him up, but over an hour had passed after he woke up and there was no sign of Younghyun. Instead of the vampire, the one that showed up was Jihoon. The blood doll put only his head inside the room. "Henry, Hyun is waiting for you in the woods. Please, go find him."</p><p>Nodding his head to that, Henry first cleared away the scroll, then set out to find the vampire, quite the same way as he had hunted for the blood dolls and gangrels that first day. Taking a deep breath, he tried to focus on Younghyun’s scent - which he vaguely recognized - and then follow its trail.</p><p>Younghyun was perched on a tree, looking up at the moon, when the newborn approached, the vampire jumped down. But instead of standing on his feet, he knelt down, head hung low. "I am sorry, Henry… I never… it was never my intention… I just wanted to help you."</p><p>Henry, who had approached with that same lack of emotion as always, looked with those same empty eyes upon the older vampire as he knelt down, just waiting for the next lesson to be taught. He was, however, not prepared for the way the sound of Younghyun’s voice sparked through his mind, bringing up memories from <em>before</em> as easily and clearly as if he had never forgotten any of them altogether.</p><p>And like the end of a firecracker lit on fire, the effect crawled through the stem of his memories until the inside of his head felt like it was continuously exploding with every memory he’d ever made. Agony, so pure and undiluted, coursed through his veins, reaching every outer part of his body despite his heart no longer beating to help it along. A choked sound was the only thing to betray him at first, but then his entire stature suddenly swayed as his legs became wobbly and his vision blurred.</p><p>Tears were not something he had anymore, but the burning ache of holding them back still registered in his throat and his chest constricted more painfully than he would ever imagine possible. He reached out a hand blindly, looking for support, finding it on the shoulder of the still kneeling vampire. His fingers dug into Younghyun’s shoulder, trying to find a hold as if trying to keep himself from being swept off by the unforgiving waves of a storm.</p><p>He didn’t speak, just sank to his own knees all the same, falling into the older male with nothing left to stop him from going over, soundless screams wrecking through his body as he tried in some way to give a voice to the agony inside of him. As he tried, in some way, to be free of it.</p><p>Younghyun was surprised at first, the nails sank on his shoulder had drawn blood, but he disregarded that pain in favor of holding Henry, hoping he could give him support. He knew all too well how much he envied humans for having tears, for being able to ease their pain with them. Vampires usually turned their pain into hatred and a blind wish to kill, to destroy those causing that pain. He had so much to say, but at that point he could only stay silent and wait for how Henry would deal with his emotions. He was ready to fight if necessary.</p><p>It took a while, the soundless screams receding and making way for Henry just lying slumped in Younghyun’s hold staring blankly ahead of himself while the memories played out in his mind. But eventually he shifted again, ever so slightly at first, and then a little more in order to put a hand on the ground and push himself upward. Pulling slightly out of Younghyun’s hold to sit up straight, Henry blinked and then lifted a hand to run it over his face.</p><p>It was a strange sensation to realize there were no tears to clean away, and so he ended up looking at his own still dry hand with a frown for a few more moments, before eventually shaking his head and forcing himself to let go of that feeling. Only then did he lift his head up far enough to look at Younghyun, but facing the vampire merely caused another stab of pain to go through his chest. It was too much to bear, the knowledge that she was gone, but it was an undeniable reality.</p><p>“Why did she have to go? Why not me?” He asked then, speaking up about the events for the first time since they had happened. “Why did you not save her?”</p><p>"She was pregnant..." Younghyun mumbled, looking at the ground. "Either turning her into a blood doll or a vampire would kill the baby. So dad chose to save you so he could save them too, for another lifetime. He thought that was the best choice." Younghyun just couldn't shake off the thought, it was all <em>his</em>&lt;/i&gt; fault. He should have read more, studied more, he should have asked instead of assuming that one spell could be solely used on humans as many others could.</p><p>There was so much Henry wanted to say, so much he wanted to shout, blame all of them for not saving Guifei and instead prolonging his very existence, but in the end there was nothing at all for him to put in words and so he just sighed and remained quiet. His eyes were focused on Younghyun, however, just looking at the other vampire for a long time, until he eventually reached out a hand again.</p><p>At first he aimed for Younghyun’s shoulder, but then for some reason he put his hand on the back of the other male’s neck and pulled the both of them closer together until their foreheads touched. Eyes closing automatically at the proximity, Henry allowed a moment of silence to fall between them before sighing lightly. “It’s not your fault,” he said after a moment. “No matter what you think you did, you didn’t drop that bomb, so it’s not your fault.”</p><p>Younghyun had felt emotional at hearing that, feeling Henry so close, but deep down he still blamed himself, with or without a bomb, Henry was forced into an afterlife because of his mistake. Younghyun knew though, that arguing would not take them anywhere, he would do anything from then on to protect his brother, he would see him happy, he would reunite him with his lover, a vow he would never break.</p><p>"Henry... "</p><p>Before Younghyun could say anything else, Henry sighed deeply and released his hold, straightening up once more. He looked at his brother again then, this time expecting the sharp pang of pain in his chest and not getting floored by it. “So I was told you were supposed to teach me how to fight.”</p><p>"I was told to pull my courage back out of my ass and talk to you," Younghyun retorted with a small smile. "First lesson, then. Newborn strength is deeply linked to your emotions," and he pointed to the wound on his shoulder. "Your nails are as sharp as blades, so be careful, little brother. Did you ever take martial arts classes or something?"</p><p>“I learned a few basic fighting moves to protect myself if absolutely necessary, but that’s about it,” Henry replied with a light shrug of his shoulders. “Sorry about that, though, I didn’t realize.”</p><p>"You could have killed a human just now. So for today..." He looked around, then back at the tree he had been perched on. "Jump and break some branches. You need to learn how to manage your strength, go." Younghyun said but it was clear from his expression that the vampire had no clue on how to teach someone how to fight even though he had been taught even when he was still human.</p><p>And for the first time since his requiem started, Henry raises his eyebrows to signal his disbelief and amusement to his friend. “Why don’t you just admit that you have no idea how to actually make me do that?” He replied easily, a slight grin suddenly appearing on his face as well. “How about I chase you and you try not to get caught?”</p><p>"Chungyeol's training is pure hell, Sungmin's training is painful. I was trying to be complacent, but since you don't want me to, I will give them the honor of tearing you." Younghyun replied, but then something else came to his mind. "Do you remember I once told you we have the same mother?" a smile pulled the corners of Younghyun's lips.</p><p>“I do. You’re going to tell me it’s Chungyeol?” With that joke made, Henry suddenly pounced forward, wrapping his arms around Younghyun’s neck and using his body weight to push him backwards and roll him over. He made sure not to hurt the other too much, but did move to ruffle Younghyun’s hair next.</p><p>Younghyun didn't put up any resistance, but as Henry ruffled his hair he did add. "Now we also have the same father. More than Chungyeol and Sungmin, we are twice more brothers."</p><p>“Boy, does it suck to be me,” Henry deadpanned, shaking his head lightly, but his grin was bright and amused anyway.</p><p>That night, Henry didn't train at all, but at least his unbeating heart opened up slightly. At the course of the following days he continued to train the resurrection scroll diligently, also giving some more attention to the scroll that would help him stay awake for longer periods. But there were visible changes, he started to smile more, he would respond to jokes and teases, slowly getting back to normal, slowly finding his humanity again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Negende Lied – The Ninith Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was only a few days after they arrived in Nishinari, on a bright day in which Younghyun wanted nothing more than to hide in Henry's basement room from the sun, that an unexpected guest showed up at Mishra's hotel. The vampire was talking with Yoshiki about adding some music to the restaurant when a certain lady walked in. She was looking around at the lobby’s interior, taking in the decorations and things like that before heading over to the reception desk.</p><p>“Excuse me, do you still have a room available for one?”</p><p>Makoto, who was taking care of the reception, quickly got to the lady, offering her the registration book. "Yes, please leave your information, how many days would you like to stay?"</p><p>“Could I book for an indefinite amount of time, please?” Her eyes went over the lobby once more, clinging momentarily on the two men talking with each other before moving on. “I’m not sure yet how long I’ll be staying. It depends on how well things go,” she spoke as she turned back to Makoto.</p><p>The three males looked at her in surprise, Makoto looked at Younghyun and Yoshiki with questioning eyes and he noticed Younghyun's ears were a tad bit red which was very strange for a vampire. He looked back at the young woman. "Pardon me, you wouldn't like to set a check-out date, correct? Then would you be interested in a cheaper room or a more comfortable yet expensive choice?" he therefore questioned, she seemed to be a rich lady, she could be looking for a live-in room, Makoto quickly checked if their VIP rooms were all booked.</p><p>“The cheaper one will do fine,” the lady responded, before motioning over to the entrance doors of the hotel. “Is there someone here who can get my luggage or is that something I have to do…” A short pause before she added: “Myself?” Her eyes once again went back to the two men talking and stopped short on Younghyun this time. “Perhaps you could be a doll and help me out?”</p><p>Younghyun couldn't help but laugh at her question. Back when Henry's mother was trying to find him a bride, that one lady had been the hardest one to reject. She was such lively and outspoken human, she had nothing of those snob rich girls Younghyun hated, but he would never accept anyone for he was still on the wait for his promised love. Meeting her again in Nishinari was not on Younghyun's list of expectation, but seeing her single him out like that was amusing.</p><p>"Don't worry about the luggage, the hotel has staff to help you out, lady Silke," Younghyun replied in his amusement, then he turned back to Yoshiki to continue discussing the changes to the restaurant. In contrast, both Makoto and Yoshiki were slightly taken aback. Usually, Daroll severed his connections every time he moved, it was quite new to have them meet someone from a previous territory.</p><p>"Yes don't worry about the luggage, miss. Our hotel staff will help you out. Please wait a moment while I fetch your key and finalize your booking." Makoto replied, constantly eyeing Younghyun then, he so felt like calling Mishra out to have her help him because the red in his ears told him he would need help.</p><p>Smiling a saccharinely sweet smile at Younghyun, Silke turned her attention temporarily back to Makoto to give a nod of her head before she let her eyes rest upon the taller vampire again. “It has been a while, lord Younghyun. What a coincidence for us to meet here again.”</p><p>"Isn't it?" Younghyun once again halted his conversation with Yoshiki, somehow that human made him feel slightly uncomfortable, he didn't know why. "As I told you on our last meeting, I came to help my fiancée with her hotel," he added and that reply made Yoshiki and Makoto to stare at each other in knowing.</p><p>“Oh, you have found someone then?” Silke returned another question, eyebrows rising in interest, smile widening as she took in the male opposite of her. The other two men could just as well not have existed for as far as she was concerned, all of her attention focused on Younghyun. “I would love to meet the lady who has managed to garner your heart for herself.”</p><p>Younghyun smiled, accepting her challenge and praying Takeshi would not try to kill him for asking Mishra to play the part, after all, she was the only vampire he was comfortable to ask such a thing. "After you are set, we could meet for dinner tonight," Younghyun replied and after that, he excused himself from his talk with Yoshiki to go plead help from his most favorite vampire sister and beg her companion not to screw his disguise.</p><p>“That sounds good,” Silke replied with a nod of her head, letting her eyes linger on Younghyun for a moment longer before she turned to face the man at the counter again, to see if he had checked which room was available for her.</p><p>After finishing off with the registration, Makoto gave her a key and ordered a staff to guide the lady to her room. Since she was someone Younghyun knew he thought better to get her a room facing the outer garden with a view to the mountain and the woods behind the hotel. While Silke was settling, Younghyun found Mishra and the gangrel was more than glad to help him, but Takeshi strictly prohibited kisses, what Younghyun was more than glad to accept, he couldn't imagine himself kissing his noona either.</p><p>Everything was set that night, Younghyun and Mishra were dining on a table facing the garden when Silke arrived at the restaurant, a staff already stopping her, saying she was awaited and guiding her to said table. Mishra was feeding Younghyun his dinner, both chattering happily about their new joint business on the renewed restaurant plans.</p><p>For a moment longer, the second her eyes took in the scene, Silke stopped in her tracks, just looking at the couple seated at the table. Eyes going from the one to the other, she took a moment before being able to continue following the staff member. “Good evening you two lovebirds,” she greeted the couple once she reached, taking a seat on the remaining chair. “I see you guys started without me.”</p><p>"Lady Silke, I presume? Forgive our bad manners, but Younghyun received a summoning from his cousin and he won't be able to stay longer. I will dine with you though." Mishra greeted her kindly, while Younghyun kept munching on the meat, anything not to open his mouth and say anything unnecessary, Mishra said she would deal with everything.</p><p>“That’s too bad,” Silke responded with a look in Younghyun’s direction before a warm smile appeared on her features. “But I do look forward to spending an evening in your company, miss…” She paused a moment. “Forgive me, I don’t think your fiance has even told me your name. He doesn’t seem to be very well-behaved.”</p><p>Mishra laughed, petting Younghyun's hair. "My fiance is very reserved, he only gives important information to important people," she said before looking at Silke. "You can call me Mishra," she added smirking at the human girl. "As you may know, I am the owner of this hotel. I have heard you were acquainted with my fiancé in Socheon, what brings you to Nishinari?"</p><p>Silke’s smile didn’t grow any less warm as she kept up the conversation with Mishra, her eyes crinkling lightly in her amusement even. “Ah, I heard there were interesting things to be seen here,” she replied easily to the question, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mishra. I do look forward to the rest of this evening. I feel like you and I will be able to get along just fine.” Saying that, the girl glanced over at Younghyun again with something akin to mischief in her smile, but it disappeared as quick as it had shown.</p><p>There she was again, Younghyun thought, taking his glass of wine and gulping it down. She was unnerving, no matter how impolite he had been even when they first met, she refused to get annoyed and dump him, she only wavered when he said his father had decided on a bride that was Nishinariese, and they wouldn't need to meet anymore. And now even in front of his supposed bride she was still lightheartedly taking everything, the feeling that she was actually having fun made Younghyun stand up and excuse himself. He had half a mind to plead Sungmin to get rid of her already, but he would use that as a last resort, he hoped Mishra could deal with her just fine.</p><p>Sending a playful goodbye over Younghyun's shoulder Mishra called out a waiter so her guest could choose her dinner. All the while she kept studying Silke, there was something about her that felt different as if Mishra had met her before but couldn't pinpoint when or where. It felt strange, Mishra had felt something like an instant liking to this girl, to the point that if she was not chasing after Younghyun, she would definitely add her to her own coven.</p><p>Silke ordered herself something to eat when Mishra summoned the waiter, then started up a conversation with the owner of the hotel. “So, if I may be so curious. How did you and lord Younghyun meet? Were you introduced by Henry's mother as well?”</p><p>Mishra shook her head, her smiling carrying all the memories of raising Younghyun into this obnoxious little vampire. "No. I've met him way before when his mother was still alive. Back then I was only a servant in the house, but his father helped me set up a small inn. As I had managed to make it grow this big I took the courage to ask Younghyun's hand," after saying that she took a sip of her wine glass. "He did refuse a few times. First, because his mother died, then because he fell in love with a lady that was already promised in marriage. I had to wait quite a long time for him to be able to get over the fact that she married and then died. Even though he doesn't love me as much as he loved that woman I am confident I can be his perfect wife." she added mixing up truth and lies to see Silke's reaction.</p><p>Listening with clear interest to everything she was being told, Silke still showed that lingering amusement, however, but nothing to reveal why the emotion was there. Although at the end of Mishra’s words, the girl smiled more widely, as if immensely taken by the story of the two lovebirds.</p><p>“It sounds like he’s had quite a difficult youth,” she stated, a hint of sympathy flickering over her features before she schooled them again. “Can I ask, though… Do you think he is a good fiancé and will be a good husband to you?”</p><p>"Oh he will," Mishra nodded taking another sip of wine. "Exactly because he had a difficult youth as much as I did. We share similar wounds, hence we can make it work. Plus he promised his mother when she died, that he would be a great husband as his father had been. He is already planning a joint business between us so he can share my workload, and we are not even married yet."</p><p>Silke nodded her head, clearly impressed at the lengths Mishra’s fiancé seemed to be willing to go to in order to make life easier on her. “You must be very happy with him,” she decided. Right then the waiter brought her food and Silke easily moved on to more superficial topics of conversation, about life in the city, things one could do around there to keep busy and other things one tended to talk with strangers about.</p><p>It was only by the end of the evening when both women clearly had eaten plenty and should probably start heading their own way again, that Silke shifted lightly in her seat as if uncomfortable. “Mishra, there is something I would like to talk to you about… In private.” The girl stated after a moment, folding her hands on the table before looking at the woman opposite of her with a pointed look. “Somewhere where <em>no one</em> can hear us.”</p><p>Mishra felt the request slightly odd, adding to that the subtle change in her instance. She eyed the human for a second more before nodding. "Depending on how private and how urgent you'd like to talk, I would say there are two options: my office at the back of the hotel where some of my staff could perhaps overhear, or a leisure walk through the woods. I actually opened up a trail as some politicians prefer the open space where one could easily slip to his death." she joked then.</p><p>“Hm, I think perhaps the woods would be the better option. Unless you think someone might follow us there? I would like it to be really private, and I would appreciate if it happens as soon as possible.” Silke merely replied, not seeming shaken or amused at all anymore at that moment in time.</p><p>Everything felt odd at that point, but what a human could do against a vampire in the middle of the woods? Mishra smiled. "Very well, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow, we can go out. And don't worry, I will make sure no-one follows." the vampire replied and right after excused herself to go back to her duties of a hotel owner.</p><p>The next day, as they had promised, Mishra picked Silke up from her hotel room and they leisurely walked through the trail. It felt sort of refreshing in the forest as the only sounds were that of the animals and the wind playing with the trees. The two kept talking pleasantries for a good while until they reached a sloop. That was probably the point where one could easily slip to death, but the view from that point was sure beautiful, it faced a small waterfall and its lake. "I believe this is the best place to absolute talk in private." Mishra then said, closing her eyes and just feeling the foam from the waterfall.</p><p>With her eyes on the scenery, Silke showed a slight smile at the view, then nodded her head in agreement with Mishra’s words. “I do believe so too,” she agreed easily. For a moment she closed her eyes as well, breathing in deeply and seemingly trying to gather her courage before she turned fully to face the woman. “I have a question, which might sound a little strange to you if you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I have a feeling you do and so I need to ask…”</p><p>She glanced away from Mishra again for a moment, as if hesitating, but then looked back with renewed resolve. “Does it mean anything to you when I say: Kitsune-san?”</p><p>Mishra looked at the girl with a frown. Many people had called her that over the years, some endearingly, some as a curse. But at that point, the way Silke had said it, meant more and nothing at the same time. "Do you expect it to mean anything?" Mishra therefore replied. The vampire felt the need to rethink everything Younghyun had told her about the girl because right then it almost felt like she knew they were not your nice-above-average humans.</p><p>“I… think so, yes,” Silke replied, releasing a soft sigh. “I feel like I know you.” Eyes moving back to the waterfall, Silke seemed to be staring off into the distance blindly for a moment, thoughts far away. “In another life, perhaps…” Wringing her hands together, the young woman sighed again. “Or perhaps I am mistaken.”</p><p>A very wild thought came to Mishra then, "Then does it mean anything to you when I say: Mio?" She replied, half-hoping it could be true, but mostly thinking she was looking too much on the fact that that human girl was so drawn towards Younghyun or even herself. After all, when Mio died, Younghyun was a newborn, he didn't know any Moriaty spells. Finding Mio again was, in her head, mostly impossible.</p><p>It wasn’t hard to see, though, that it did indeed mean something to Silke because her expression brightened instantly and a sense of excitement clearly overtook her. Reaching for Mishra’s arms, the girl took hold of her almost excitedly so and quickly nodded her head.</p><p>“It does. So it’s true? We’ve known each other?” A split second of looking at Mishra in excited expectation, before the girl quickly added another few questions. “Is <em>all</em> of it true? How is this possible? When did it all happen?”</p><p>Mishra was so to say shocked. She shook her head trying to accept Silke's words. "What do you mean by <em>all true</em>?" she questioned first, then she really looked at the human in front of her. "How can you? Do you really remember your past life?" If it was true, Younghyun would have died of a heart attack if he was still alive.</p><p>“I don- I wouldn’t go as far as to call it <em>remember</em>,” Silke replied, losing her excitement and starting to blush lightly as she let go of the other woman. “I just... I’ve had all of these dreams and-” She shrugged lightly. “They didn’t seem like anything more than dreams about the same recurring fantasy world, which I admit was a little strange. But then I met Younghyun and he was the same as in my dream. I figured I must have met him before and just put his face in my dreams, but you…”</p><p>She motioned at Mishra, smiling so brightly, clearly happy to see the woman. “There was no way I could have met you before, I would have remembered. And I feel so comfortable with you, like I’ve known you a long time. I was so surprised to see you last night!” Then another thought seemed to occur to the young woman. “You’re not really together with Younghyun, are you?”</p><p>Dreams? Mishra laughed, Silke felt comfortable with her? The vampire raised a hand to caress Silke's cheek. "I am not." Mishra's smile got so bright at the thought that it took a few seconds more to add. "He only wants one bride, the one he killed many centuries ago, who he had been waiting for. I was so pissed with him back then, but here you are… in this lifetime have you been happy? Did he make the right choice for you?"</p><p>“I was- I am.” Silke’s smile was back, her head nodding almost automatically by now. “I don’t know if I know everything, though. If the dreams portray everything that happened. And if everything I dream has actually happened… Could you tell me? About it all?”</p><p>The vampire nodded firmly and started to telltale about the day they first met, how they became friends. She told about the deal they made, to turn her into a half-kitsune just so she could get married and fulfill her duties as the oldest daughter. She also told bits about the story that even Mio didn't know, for example the fact that after getting Mio unconscious, Mishra actually took her to be Younghyun's first meal of his requiem and how later Younghyun couldn't for the life in him stop thinking and worrying about her even though he did his best to keep himself away. She also told her what they did after she died, the revenge they executed on those that expected to find happiness from her death. "Younghyun avidly studied Moriaty spells, it's sort of magic that would allow him to search for your soul, but he never could do it because he is not a pure Moriaty, Oh right, Moriaty is a type of vampire. I am a Gangrel, Younghyun is a Dragon/slash impure Moriaty… very impure." Mishra kept blabbing.</p><p>Listening to it all intently, Silke occasionally nodded to show she was still following. There were some things new to her, but other things she did indeed already know from the dreams. To hear of how Mishra and Younghyun had avenged her, made her feel a little bad for the family she used to have, but she’d never been able to truly feel herself while awake what it was she felt for them in the dreams. Like they were someone else’s feelings, for people she’d never met. Always fading when morning came around and she opened her eyes.</p><p>So the young woman just kept taking in all the new information, listening and nodding, before eventually just grinning brightly. “That means it’s all true then, everything I dreamed,” she said with a warm, clearly happy and somewhat relieved smile. “That is so amazing. How come I dreamed of this previous life, is that normal?”</p><p>Mishra shook her head. "I heard it is possible with Moriaty spells, this, exactly what you are telling me of dreaming about a past life and the human feeling driven to find those vampires she is connected with. But no spell was used on you, I always thought it would be impossible to find you again. But then again… Younghyun has been searching for your soul for nearly six hundred years, that could have something to do with it," Mishra smirked then. "He has been working so hard to get you off his back. When he finds out you are the one he had been waiting for… Oh it will be priceless!" and she laughed out loud again.</p><p>Silke chuckled at the words as well, nodding her head with an amused grin. “I do feel that way too. For some reason I’ve been feeling like I should keep him on his toes a little but now I know why.” Amusement breaking through on the young woman’s expression after those words, she put a hand on Mishra’s arm again. “Oh, could you please not tell him? I’m really curious if he will figure it out on his own. I’ve been having so much fun these past few days already, it would be a shame for it to be over so soon.”</p><p>Silke chuckled again, then shook her head lightly. “For all his talk of finding me again he did a very poor job of it, considering the first time we met he straight up rejected me.”</p><p>"He was probably hoping to recognize you as he does with his mother." Mishra said then, her smile diminishing into something almost painful. "I couldn't recognize you either. You look nothing like Mio, even your personality is different."</p><p>Frowning at that revelation, Silke felt a little sad for a moment. “I’m sorry?” was all she could say, feeling bad for both Younghyun and Mishra that she had apparently been too different to still recognize. “I will drop him some hints over time then. If he hasn’t figured it out by the time you guys decide to leave again, I guess we can tell him.” Once again, the mischievous edge came back to the young woman’s expression. “I just want to make him work for it a little.”</p><p>"It seems we can't recognize a human's reincarnation unless it is done through a Moriaty spell. That is why Younghyun can recognize his mother, Daroll has chained her soul to his own. Every time she reincarnates they see someone else in her. Since I am not part of their coven, I have never been able to recognize her, though I met her sometimes. You only met Younghyun now because he was interacting with his mother's reincarnation. Younghyun has never accepted to go on blind dates in his entire life, he doubly despises the thought of marriage for convenience both because of his mother and because of you." Mishra tried to explain. "Please don't drop hints. Just be plain honest with him… That doesn't mean you can't tease him for not recognizing you."</p><p>Growing more serious during Mishra’s explanation, Silke nodded her head lightly. “Alright then, I will,” she easily decided. Mishra was, after all, something close to an older sister for her. However strange it was because she only knew the older woman from her dreams, it was still the truth for her feelings. So if the older woman decided she should tell Younghyun straight out, then that was what she would do. “Do you think I should tell him today? Straight away?”</p><p>Mishra looked pensively at Silke. "For him to have a mental breakdown you should either tell him something of huge impact that only the three of us would know, or go back to the hotel as my blood doll plus the impact words. I want him punished for making us wait this long for you. Who knows how many of your reincarnations we already missed?" she deadpanned then, wanting to smack Younghyun's head.</p><p>“I don’t know, but if it’s been six hundred years…” Suddenly the girl went quiet, when the reality of that information hit her. “Oh dear, six hundred years, that is a <em>really </em>long time.”</p><p>"You think so?" Mishra smirked. "Younghyun is that old, but I still see him as a baby." she added playfully.</p><p>Blinking a few times while trying to take in that information, Silke eventually just sighed and shook her head lightly. “I don’t think that is information I’ll be able to wrap my head around anytime soon,” she then admitted, before chuckling softly. “But don’t worry, I know just the right thing to tell him. I would just like to be able to talk to him privately as well. Is there some way for me to do that?”</p><p>"If you just wait here I can bring him over," Mishra said easily. "There are plenty of ways to get him alone with you."</p><p>“I’ll wait here then,” Silke agreed, nodding her head and smiling at Mishra. “Thank you, Kitsune-san.” Her smile brightened upon using those words, before she added: “I think I’ll start calling you Mishra now. Bloodsucker just doesn’t have a nice ring to it.”</p><p>"Well, depending on the person, I do like to be called Kitsune. All my children have called me that… wait scratch that… Takeshi is a huge exception..." After saying that, Mishra pointed ahead on the trail. "If you go further ahead you will find a small temple I made, it is more comfortable to wait there. I will be right back with him."</p><p>Silke did as she was told, walking further down the trail until she reached the temple. There, she looked around for a moment at the building her old friend had created, before turning her attention back to the trail and waiting for Younghyun to show.</p><p>It didn't take much longer, for that to happen. He came alone, as Mishra had told him she had dealt with his problem and he just needed to go put a final point on it. "She really built a temple for a Kitsune, Mishra really is something else." Younghyun said as he patted one of the stony foxes adorning the entrance.</p><p>“Isn’t she?” Silke replied easily, stepping closer to Younghyun with the usual smile on her features that she always seemed to have around him. A smile that held both warmth as mischief, politeness as more. “But it’s quite fitting, in my opinion. And it’s a very beautiful place,” As she closed in on the vampire, Silke’s smile grew warmer, and she easily hooked her arm through his when she reached him. “Walk with me a little?”</p><p>Younghyun thought it was a little suspicious. Mishra seemed to be holding back when she talked to him, now Silke also seemed slightly different. For a moment it felt like they were conspiring against him. He lived long enough with Mishra to develop that instinct. "Alright. Would you like to go back to the waterfall? Or go ahead to the base of the mountain?"</p><p>“The waterfall sounds nice,” Silke decided, her attention temporarily wandering off as she was thinking back to the dreams, considering what was the best way to bring up what she needed to say.</p><p>When they reached the waterfall, Younghyun just kept looking at the veil of water. "I was told you had something to tell me… then go ahead and say it. I don't have much time for chattering."</p><p>In those words, Silke found her way to start the conversation. “Why is that, Younghyun? Is it because you’re too busy hurting? You can stop now.”</p><p>"Hurting? Why would I be hurting?" he retorted with a small smirk, still looking at the waterfall.</p><p>“Well if you’re not I would take offense,” Silke retorted with a bit of a frown, before heaving a slight sigh. “You told me you would hurt in my place, Younghyun. You asked me to stay beside you if we met again,” She shook her head lightly and turned to look at the tall vampire, expression having shifted once again to show a slight smile. A smile that showed both amusement as that hint of mischief again, mixed in with something else, something tender. “You said you’d make me remember if we’d meet again, but it seems like I’m the one who has to make <em>you </em>remember.”</p><p>Letting go of his arm, Silke turned to face him fully, and put her hands on his chest, taking hold of his shirt lightly. Enough to try and keep him with her, but no part of her believed she was strong enough to stop him from leaving should he wish to do so. “It was me finding you, but I believe it still counts, doesn’t it? I believe we’re still destined to be together.” Looking up into Younghyun’s eyes, Silke wondered if he would remember the words as well as she did, if he would know what she was talking about.</p><p>Younghyun froze completely. He felt like he had been electrocuted. His head was in complete mayhem. He just kept looking at the human girl. He wondered if Mishra was playing a prank on him, only she would know those words, but he just didn't want to believe in that. From the moment he met Silke he thought she was perfect, if he was human, if he was to take a bride she would be his perfect match. It was so difficult to find excuses to reject her. And he was only rejecting her for his promise to find Mio, to give her the happiness she deserved.</p><p>Silke seemed to somehow know what was going on in his head, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but she spoke up again right at that moment. “I’m right here, Younghyun. You can stop hurting now and you can stop searching.” Lifting one hand from his chest, she brought it up to be able to put it on the side of his face. Leaving it there for a moment, looking up at him with a serious expression, she allowed him a little more time to take it all in.</p><p>And then her usual attitude came up again, as she started smirking lightly before stating. “I can’t believe <em>I </em>had to be the one to remember before we could find each other again, though. I thought you would at least have recognized me in this life, but not even that. Tsk.” Bringing her hand further up to be able to run her fingers through his hair, she fondly ruffled it for a moment before letting her hand rest in the nape of his neck. “I’m kind of disappointed in you here, you know. Running away from me like that and everything…”</p><p>Younghyun had seemed to turn into a statue, just staring at the person he had been longing for since he became a vampire. He still couldn't believe it, it was completely different from how he had fantasized his whole requiem. But Silke could see it, could see her reflection in his eyes, they were glistering as if he was about to cry. It was only after a while longer that he reached out to caress her cheek. "What took us so long? If you knew I was hurting… why didn't you make me stop hurting sooner?"</p><p>“Oh, going to blame me now, are we?” Silke responded, but her smile was warm and she ran her fingers through his hair almost tenderly. “How was I supposed to be sure about anything? It wasn’t until I saw Mishra that I realized my dreams might be more than just made up stories. It wasn’t until I talked to her just now that I figured out that we have lived those dreams in another life of mine.” Bringing her hand back down to his cheek, Silke ran her thumb gently over his skin. “What’s your excuse, huh?” she asked then, but her tone of voice was still soft and the smile she gave him showed him that she wasn’t blaming him at all, and was just trying to brighten the atmosphere a little by making one of her little jokes.</p><p>"You are blond?" Younghyun replied lamely, still too overwhelmed to think of any proper reply.</p><p>Silke felt herself chuckling with a feeling of utter fondness inside of her chest. “I am blonde,” she agreed. “Do you think you’ll still be able to love me in this life despite that?”</p><p>"Most definitely." and after saying that, Younghyun gave up thinking. He pulled her closer and did the one thing he could still do from all his fantasies: kiss her.</p><p>The two stayed the whole morning at the waterfall, talking about Silke's dreams, having Younghyun explain the torture he went through because he had felt a pull towards her, but because of "Mio" and his belief he would recognize her as he can recognize his mother, he kept trying to push her away. Younghyun explained about his coven, telling her stories about his childhood and why he hates arranged marriages so much, told her about Jihoon and the blood doll concept. She was talking about her short new existence compared to his when Younghyun suddenly got stiff and pulled her closer. He was not looking at her though his face was still in her direction. He seemed to be trying to listen to something and she tried to listen to whatever as well.</p><p>Suddenly there was strange movement on the waterfall so she looked aside in time to see five red foxes climbing up the rocky wall, those were definitely not normal foxes.</p><p>"Take her back." A completely new male voice sounded beside her on the trail. It was a serious, almost angry voice.</p><p>Turning her head to look at the man, Silke automatically inched closer towards Younghyun at the sight of him. “What’s going on?” she asked, becoming a little nervous with their expressions and the foxes climbing up the waterfall.</p><p>"Werewolf?" Younghyun asked his older brother. He still could not smell it, but he could hear it advancing carefully, at first it was only one, then it seemed to be followed by another three.</p><p>Sungmin nodded. "Purebloods," he added, then he looked at Silke with a small smirk. "She really looks nothing like Mio," then he looked back at Younghyun. "I have your back, go to the hotel. I have a feeling Mishra's hatred will be tested today. There is a pack of urathas close by, the three of us will probably clash. Ah this battle would have been great for Henry's training, too bad he is still sleeping. Go. Go." the vampire added, making a shooing sign with his hand.</p><p>Younghyun smirked at Sungmin but it was unamused, then he looked back down at Silke. "We need to go back, those foxes are Mishra's coven so for now we can go back to your pace. Let's go."</p><p>They walked back down the trail the same way she had gone there that morning with Mishra herself. Silke remaining mostly silent. At arriving back at the hotel, Younghyun escorted her back to her room. "I need to go. Once things are cleared out, we will go out on a date." After saying that Younghyun, stole a short kiss from her lips then walked away.</p><p>Even though he had wanted to go help Sungmin and Mishra against the purebloods, Younghyun went all the way over to Daroll. He knew that his whole coven probably already knew about Silke being Mio's reincarnation, that experience made him worry. As soon as he saw Daroll, Younghyun clung to his arm feeling like a teenager all over again.</p><p>"I couldn't recognize Mio, dad! How will Henry find Guifei? I don't want him to live through the same agony I had been through!" Younghyun spoke, his whole being begging his father to help him make sure Henry would be able to safely recognize Guifei.</p><p>Daroll smiled at his son, knowing all too well how much Henry's future was now linked to Younghyun's. "You don't have to worry. The spell you had cast was wrong, but when I embraced Henry I had cast another Moriaty spell. Guifei will be something like Silke, knowing her past life through dreams. But she will also be different, as much as she remembers, she will desperately search for him, she will be able to sense how close she is of finding him. He will also recognize her, no matter how much her appearance changes, because he will be able to see the ethereal shackles chaining her to him. She is his slave, something close to a blood doll. There will be no mistake. You don't have to worry."</p><p>The explanation had calmed Younghyun, their circumstances were completely different, but it had hurt him nevertheless, to hear that Guifei had been turned in a slaved soul. The sight would hurt Henry so much. Deciding to put that aside, Younghyun looked out of the window. "Don't we have to go help Sungmin and Mishra?"</p><p>Daroll looked outside too. "What can four purebloods do against Mishra, Sungmin and urathas? I know Sungmin can be a good arbiter between them. He is the one with most experience after all."</p><p>The younger vampire nodded. "I will go back to Silke then." after saying that Younghyun bowed to his father before leaving the room. On his way to Silke, though, Younghyun thought of Jihoon and decided that he should get them acquainted as soon as possible, therefore he decided to go have a heart to heart talk with his blood doll.</p><p>The next morning, right before Silke would leave to the restaurant. Someone knocked on the door. When it opened, the one Younghyun had a restaurant with in Socheon walked in, bringing her breakfast in a cart. “Good morning, miss, your breakfast as per Younghyun’s request. He asked me to keep you company as he is currently on a meeting with werewolves. It might take a while for him to be back.” The young man relayed, as if talking about an everyday duty Younghyun had.</p><p>“Oh that’s alright,” Silke easily replied to his words, smiling over at the male and motioning at the table and chairs. “That gives us plenty of time to get to know each other. Please do start with sitting down and then try to remember that ‘miss’ is not necessary, just Silke will do fine.”</p><p>Jihoon smiled at her "Then Silke it is," he replied softly, her personality sure was something else. He quietly served the breakfast for her, then as quietly took a seat. But he kept paying close attention to her, he knew how important she was to Younghyun and therefore she was already important to him too. He chuckled at the thought of Younghyun becoming more like Chungyeol, with both of them having two blood dolls. But that chuckle soon died away, buried by his own set of worries, those he acquired the day he gave Bloedijs to Younghyun.</p><p>One thing was to know his own heart, he knew he would never betray Younghyun. He also knew Daroll would never harm his progeny, he would rather end his own requiem instead. The night before, when Younghyun told him he had finally found his reincarnated companion and would finally be able to keep his promise to her, Jihoon had never felt more scared of losing his master. That night came crashing down on his heart, the image of Bloedijs' grip turning bloody red at his innocent touch, haunted his mind and he found himself wishing Younghyun had not found her, would never find her.</p><p>But then he heard she could remember her past life, if that was proof of how strongly she felt for him, then maybe Jihoon could come to trust her on protecting Younghyun's requiem. "How long do you plan on staying with Younghyun?" the blood doll found himself asking, his tone was still friendly, but somehow his words had sounded he was telling her she shouldn't stay long.</p><p>Silke, who had started on the breakfast he had presented her with, looked back up at Jihoon as he spoke, only to smile a bit of a cold smile at him. “Yes, it’s very nice to meet you too,” she responded, picking up her cutlery and temporarily looking down at her food before glancing back up at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch <em>your </em>name. Perhaps you would be so kind as to inform me of that before you start your interrogation?”</p><p>Jihoon straightened on the chair, a hurt expression took over his features. "You don't know my name? Younghyun didn't talk about me? What type of daddy doesn't tell his new girlfriend about his cute little son? Younghyun will sure hear from me when he gets back." The hurt expression turned angry midway his speech before he crossed his arms in front of his chest and sighed.</p><p>Silke couldn’t help but chuckle when the expression appeared on the male’s face, the initial distrust she’d felt for the man disappearing like dust in the wind. “Perhaps if you tell me what your name is, I will recognize it as one of the people Younghyun <em>has </em>told me about,” she replied after a moment, before giving a small nod of her head at him. “You’re not hungry?”</p><p>He opened one eye to look at her. "Lishu," He told simply before another smile broke in his expression, one full of nostalgia. "Jihoon," he then added before he looked back at her "or maybe Ryouku since we are in Nishinari now. Name changes as we move."</p><p>He then looked at the breakfast he had prepared. "I already ate before I prepared that for you, our family has breakfast very early since our vampires don't sleep at night." then he looked back at her with a small hopeful grin. "He did tell you who I am right?"</p><p>It was easy to feel close to the young man who talked like he was years younger than her, even though she knew he was probably much older. But it was his clear adoration for Younghyun that caused Silke to so instantly and fully <em>like </em>him. “He did,” she therefore agreed easily. “I think a third of everything he told me was about you,” For a moment her eyes sparkled and her smile grew wider, more amused. “I don’t have to be worried, do I?”</p><p>Jihoon smiled even more. "Of course you do. I love Younghyun more than anything in this world. If I don't approve of you for him, I might have to kill you." He replied quite cheerily, as if that was the most natural thing to say.</p><p>“Well, I hope you know the feeling is mutual,” Silke replied, her own voice just as cheerily as his, before she turned her attention fully on her breakfast. “It is nice to meet you, though. And you have some great cooking skills, I think we’ll get along just fine.”</p><p>"I had a few centuries to practice," Jihoon commented back, and allowed her to eat quietly, but as she was about to finish his tone became serious, a bit gloomy even, "But I hope you know I am not joking. As of the moment you live in a world of light, Silke. Younghyun and I live in a world of darkness where you kill or get killed, where finding allies is a rare thing because you can't even trust the shadows in the room. How long do you plan to stay with Younghyun? Just a few years of your human days, or for as long as he lives. I know Mio made a promise to Younghyun, will you keep that promise?" the more he spoke the more he seemed to want to scare her.</p><p>The young woman didn’t reply straight away, instead she calmly finished her meal as if Jihoon hadn’t even spoken at all. And even for a little while after she’d swallowed the last bite, she said nothing and simply cleared up the dishes, then even got up to put them back on the cart he had used to roll them in. When eventually the table was cleared and there was nothing left to do, she paused where she was standing and looked over at Jihoon again.</p><p>“With all due respect, Ryeoku, I feel like that is something I should talk to Younghyun about first, not you,” she told him, entirely serious herself. “Now if you won’t mind, I would like to wash and prepare myself for today.”</p><p>"No. It's something you need to talk with me, because I know him… Silke… When I joined them, when I was still learning what it meant to be a blood doll, someone used me to seed doubt in the coven. Younghyun got a curse put on him because someone made use of my love for him to reach him. How much you love Younghyun, how much you are willing to give him. I need to know because how much you love him can be how deadly you could be to him." Jihoon spoke softly, unmoving. The blood doll looked at the human girl standing in front of him, he was worried about what vampires could plot against Younghyun by using her. Most of all he was worried about what the Artisan would do, that man scared him the most.</p><p>Silke sighed at the male’s clear refusal to leave without an answer. Shaking her head lightly at first, she then hummed. “Alright, but I want to say that I don’t like talking to you about this.” Running a hand over her face for a moment, she then managed to focus enough on the question he had asked her rather than the other worrying things he brought up. Younghyun? Cursed? “When I saw the face of the guy I only knew from my dreams, I upheaveled my entire life and followed him all the way to Nishinari. I have yet to regret my decision. Does that answer your question?”</p><p>The blood doll finally stood from his chair and faced the human girl in front of him. "Is there any possibility you would come to regret your decision?" Jihoon questioned back, his hand quietly moved to his pant's pocket and stayed there as he waited for her reply.</p><p>“If you keep this up for the rest of my life, then yes, probably,” Silke responded almost instantly, rolling her eyes lightly. The young man’s incessant questioning was starting to annoy her, especially considering the fact he was asking her about something she hadn’t even been able to properly discuss with Younghyun himself. So how was she to make promises to someone else about something she didn’t even know how Younghyun felt about?</p><p>Jihoon gave out a small smirk, he pulled an empty hand out of his pocket, she passed his first test, her heartbeat spoke more than she did. "I will leave you to your things for now. Would you like to visit our home? We are not staying here at the hotel, and Younghyun would like to meet you there." he replied while walking to the door.</p><p>“Sure, that’d be nice,” The response came in a civil tone once more, as Silke felt slightly relieved to see the male finally leave her hotel room again. “Thank you for the breakfast, Ryeoku.” Waiting until he was outside of her door, she went over to lock it and then moved to the bathroom so she could wash and prepare herself for the day. She took her time to get ready, eventually only emerging after a full hour. Picking up her purse, she checked to make sure her room was in order before heading outside and back down to the lobby.</p><p>She soon saw Jihoon there, conversing with Yoshiki, a frown in place. It was the vampire who noticed Silke first, so he ended the conversation and Jihoon made his way to her. "It seems Younghyun will take longer than expected to come back. Mishra and the werewolves are not getting along," he told her quietly, with a long sigh at the end of his speech.</p><p>Silke instantly frowned as well, worry spiking inside of her. “He’s not in any sort of danger, is he?” Her hand almost automatically took hold of Jihoon’s lower arm, as if making sure the male wouldn’t leave without answering her question first.</p><p>"I don't think so. He is there with Daroll and Sungmin and they all took their best weapons with them. They are trying to make an alliance, but how do you get a fox to befriend a wolf? This truce will probably take months to solve." Jihoon replied, petting her hand.</p><p>Slowly relaxing at the words, Silke nodded her head, then let go of the male’s arm again. “I’m sorry about that,” she quickly apologized when she realized how she’d grabbed him, sending him a slightly apologetic smile. “So, are you still showing me the house or should we go somewhere else first then?”</p><p>"Let's go to the house so you can see for yourself how vampires live." he replied, very gentlemanly leading the way. The house was not that far from the hotel, a five minutes walk was all they needed. It was quite a large property, befitting a rich family. Once they got in, they were greeted by servants, and Jihoon requested tea to be served at the library. The house didn't seem any different from a normal human residence, that was until they reached the upper floor. Jihoon was telling her which room belonged to whom, but as they approached Sungmin's room, a voice they both knew well was booming, asking if there was anyone nearby.</p><p>Jihoon immediately opened the door and found Kangdae in the mirror, a wide smile appearing on the werewolf's face. "Finally! Seungi! Jihoon appeared!" the rahu shouted over his shoulder and soon enough Seungi was curiously looking into the room beside Kangdae.</p><p>"Wow, it really worked!" the older male marveled at the display of vampire sorcery. "Is Sungmin around?" He questioned next. Jihoon could do nothing but chuckle.</p><p>"He is not around at the moment, we were attacked by purebloods yesterday and now Daroll, Sungmin and Younghyun are trying to convince Mishra, our vampire ally here, to join forces with a nearby uratha pack. I will tell him you called," he replied cheerfully, glad to see that the werewolves were still so fond of them. "But didn't Sungmin hyung tell you to only call at night? If a servant saw you, we would have problems.</p><p>Kangdae tried to recall if Sungmin had said anything, but then he noticed Silke by the door and promptly changed the topic at hand. "Hey isn't that the girl that was stalking the house?" he asked pointing at her, Seungi didn't know what he was talking about, but Jihoon looked at his guest and quickly guessed, that was how she found out where to go.</p><p>Lifting a hand, Silke waved lightly at the man in the mirror, trying her best to get past the initial shock she felt at actually seeing someone <em>in the mirror</em>. Someone she thought was just a normal human, but apparently that was another wrong thought of hers. The smile she showed was genuine, although a little brittle, but it was hard not to feel at ease around the big man she was currently waving at.</p><p>"She is Younghyun's guest. Was it you who told her where we were moving to?" he questioned already expecting the rather cute 'was I not supposed to say?'</p><p>Jihoon ended the conversation saying Kangdae would most probably receive a few gifts from Younghyun in the future and that had been enough for the rahu to end the talk with a big smile. When the spell had ended, the mirror once again showed what it was supposed to show. Walking to it Jihoon covered the mirror with a curtain. Turning back to Silke, he smirked. "You can't tell at all right? Those two are werewolves," he commented "I better warn Daroll about future mirror problems." he chuckled again before inviting her back on the way to the library.</p><p>“I can’t tell at all, no,” she agreed easily, following along with Jihoon again to continue their tour of the house.</p><p>"Until not too long ago whenever we met werewolves there would be battles, and the outcome was always the enemy's death. But surprisingly enough because Sungmin befriended a werewolf before he actually turned into one, we are now trying to build alliances. It feels like a prophecy is coming true. Our coven was told we would do something unimaginable, what could be more unimaginable than this?" Jihoon told her as they reached the final destination: the library.</p><p>The room was cozy, the walls were covered in books but there were two large windows keeping the room bright, there was even sunlight over the main desk. Jihoon guided Silke to a set of armchairs and a table where they would wait for their tea to be served.</p><p>Taking a seat in one of the expensive looking armchairs, Silke allowed her eyes to wander around the room in the comfortable silence that had settled between the both of them. Looking at the massive amount of books as well as the intricate design of every shelf. Eventually her eyes traveled back to the male with her, and she proceeded to study him for a little bit.</p><p>“So how long have you been with Younghyun now?” she eventually questioned him, curiosity winning over her supposedly good manners.</p><p>"675 years, I think. Sometimes my memory gets foggy. But I am sure it has been well over 650 years. I am originally from Gunzou, or what was supposed to be Gunzou back then." he replied casually, a nostalgic smile back on his expression as he was still very fond of memories from his human life and initial days as a blood doll.</p><p>“That’s… A very long time.” Swallowing once, Silke quickly turned her gaze away again from the ancient being at her side. Some of the things she was learning were still going to take some time for her to wrap her mind around. “Don’t you… Get tired of it?”</p><p>That had been something he wondered once, before he became a blood doll. "Not really. We move quite a lot, we are always meeting new people, creating new businesses. From time to time good unexpected things happen, like very old acquaintances showing up, bad unexpected things too. For the record, right now, there are significant unexpected things happening in sequence. A light example is the fact that I am meeting Mishra for the first time while she had raised Younghyun and lived with them long before I was born in this world. For someone who was promised an eternal life, tomorrow must be an excitement, otherwise, we are as good as dead."</p><p>“I see,” Silke hummed with a nod of her head. But she didn’t see, not really. She honestly couldn’t imagine living longer than a regular human life and not getting tired of it somehow. And still, somewhere in the back of her head, there was a little voice telling her that perhaps that might be exactly what she wanted - because it came along with the tall vampire with mesmerizing eyes, didn’t it? Still, it was a thought she couldn’t quite fully nurse yet, and so she let it go again as she turned her gaze back to their surroundings, growing quiet.</p><p>"Well, there is the addiction too," Jihoon commented, he wondered if she would react anything like he did to the prospect of living off vampire blood. But Silke was temporarily too lost in thought to notice he had spoken again, let alone respond to it.</p><p>Jihoon chuckled to himself at her silence and let her do her thinking. He stood next, to pick up a book from a shelf, one Younghyun told him had moriaty spells for mirror communications. Not long after a servant came in and placed tea and cookies on the table. Jihoon told the old lady he would bring everything back to the kitchen later and that they should only prepare dinner for him, Jia, Elena, and Chungyeol as the others would all most probably dine at the hotel. After receiving the orders the old lady left and Jihoon himself served the tea, picking a cookie for himself.</p><p>Silke only returned from her thinking at the arrival of the tea, and then easily leaned over to take a cookie for herself as well. Thanking Jihoon for the tea, she quietly picked up her cup and took a sip. “Are there any books here I could read to inform me a bit better on Younghyun and his people?” she then inquired, curious gaze resting on the male.</p><p>"Not exactly. I don't believe anyone has written that. Maybe it is actually a good idea. Usually, the progenitor or the master explain the basic stuff when someone new joins and as the situations arise more details are given," Jihoon explained, but then passed on to her the book he had picked up. "But each type of vampire has left legacies and the ones with most books are the Moriaty Clan because they are like vampire sorcerers, Younghyun and Daroll are the ones that mostly study those books, the mirror thing back there is one simple Moriaty spell." he showed her the page with the instructions for the spell.</p><p>Taking the book over from the male, Silke looked at the pages displaying the mirror spell, as Jihoon called it. Reading through the rather difficult style of language, she eventually managed to understand it all. Almost automatically, she started leafing further through the book, curious to see what else would be described in it.</p><p>On the other hand, Jihoon got himself a few more cookies, after all the book was harmless in the hand of humans as not even blood dolls could cast those spells. He was well on the last cookie when the door was pushed open and a beaming Younghyun got in, still dressed in his battle attire and carrying Bloedijs. Seeing his master so early had surprised Jihoon, he questioned if the alliance had succeeded to which Younghyun shook his head. "Noona needed to sleep so I brought her back, Takeshi and Makoto are still there with Daroll and Sungmin."</p><p>Jihoon nodded and knowing he should better leave the couple to figure themselves out, he reached for Bloedijs. He hated touching that sword and he would always avoid putting his hands anywhere near the grip, but that day, willing to give Silke another warning about how dangerous their relationship could be, Jihoon purposely held the grip tightly and immediately it turned a bloody red. Younghyun had been so focused on Silke he didn't notice what his blood doll had done, but the human girl did see the change and Jihoon hopelessly sad expression as he stared at that bloody red surface. Without saying anything else the blood doll was gone.</p><p>"I hope Jihoon has not annoyed you. Yesterday he seemed a bit shaken as I told him about you." Younghyun told her with a smile that showed how happy he was to have her in his house.</p><p>Turning her attention over to Younghyun after watching Jihoon leave the room with the sword, Silke shook her head. “Only a little,” she replied, with a small smile. “He was asking some very personal questions that I did not appreciate very much. But eventually he stopped, so it’s alright.” She reached for Younghyun to run a hand over his chest, then smiled back up at him herself. “How have you been? Is everything going to turn out alright?”</p><p>“I believe so, in a few decades maybe," Younghyun nodded, the smile still in place but it became a bit worried over Jihoon. "Try to imagine, your worst enemy who killed your entire family turns out to have two sides you didn't know, one that really killed your family and the other that could potentially be a great ally. Mishra is going through that right now. It's a thousand years of hatred we are talking about here."</p><p>“Oh…” And that was really all she could say in response to those words. She could not imagine having to make a decision like that or even harboring a hatred like that. So the only thing she could do was hope that Mishra would manage to figure it out for herself. “I’m sorry that she needs to go through that.”</p><p>"She already made some hard decisions in her requiem, I am sure she will get through this, especially because Sungmin is the one persuading her. They care a lot for each other. There was a time I hoped they would end up together, but she chose Takeshi," Younghyun sighed dejectedly. "But what were you doing here? Just having tea?" the vampire then looked over at the table.</p><p>“And cookies,” Silke agreed, glancing over at the plate. “But I think Jihoon ate them all while I was reading through this spell book. Very archaic language, but interesting nonetheless,” She smiled a little amused, then brought her gaze back to Younghyun. “I asked Jihoon about a book to learn more about your kind but he says there is nothing. So I guess you’ll just have to tell me everything then?”</p><p>"There is no book indeed," Younghyun nodded looking over the bookshelf. "Explaining what we are, who we are, is a form of bonding. And we usually take our time telling the stories. But I can assure you we are the coolest vampire clan of all, after all, we are masters of weaknesses," At that, he pointed to a dragon embroidered on his coat sleeve. "We are called Dragons in the vampire society because we are the ones who can best blend among humans. There are other four clans..."</p><p>"How dare you!" another sinister voice sounded in the room as if it was coming from all corners. Younghyun instantly stiffened and pulled Silke closer to him. The next second everything seemed to change, it happened in a blink of an eye, suddenly everything became dull colored, Silke could still see what was supposed to be sunlight on the windows but it somehow felt cold, that light seemed dead, an illusion of sorts. It was not just the colors that had seemed to disappear, Silke also felt colder by the minute as if the temperature was going down and fast.</p><p>"Damn it!" Younghyun mumbled very aware that they had committed a grave mistake when they moved in, they had not cast their protections against Undassars, now they had been trapped in the Umbra. Younghyun closed his eyes and quickly spoke a few words that Slike had not recognized, when Younghyun opened his eyes again they were shining a bright red, it was a strong pulse of color in that strange colorless place. Then, little balls of a strange blue fire appeared around them.</p><p>"What?! How did you do that?!" the voice sounded again and Silke saw the shadows turning into tentacles that tried to wipe them, but the light of the fire was somehow protecting them. As the tentacles kept on hitting, the little fires started to falter.</p><p>Eyes wide in fear, Silke held on to Younghyun tightly, afraid that if she let go even a little, whatever was in the room with them would grab her and drag her away from him. That if she did anything other than hold on for dear life, she might lose him again.</p><p>After that, there were sounds of things breaking outside the room, moments later Jihoon jumped in while dodging tentacles of shadows. Younghyun let go of Silke with one hand to cast another fireball to protect Jihoon as he came closer, tightly holding on to Younghyun's pristine white sword, which seemed to shine in that strange space. "Are we the only ones here?" Younghyun asked as Jihoon pressed his back against Silke's.</p><p>"I think so, I was in the kitchen when it happened, when the servants started to vanish I ran back," Jihoon replied with a tone that had some urgency to it, but it was quite clear from his tone that that was not the first time he was in that strange place.</p><p>Younghyun smirked then. If they were the only ones trapped, then there was nothing more to worry about. "Silke, I need you to let go so I can fight, the fire will protect you," Younghyun told her softly, gaining from the Undassar a mocking laugh.</p><p>"This weak little moriaty fire won't help you for long, Dragon." the last word spoken with disdain, that only made Younghyun's smirk turn wicked.</p><p>But despite not entirely being sure of what was going on, Silke still trusted Younghyun enough to believe him, and so she let go slowly. Bringing her hands to her sides, she stood entirely still as she looked from Younghyun to Jihoon and back, then at the darkness in the room around them, before focusing back on Younghyun.</p><p>"Do you really think that bringing me into your turf will give you any handicap in this fight? I am not just any dragon," Younghyun Jiacked the way the Undassar spoke his clan's name and then lazily took Bloedijs out of her scabbard. "I am a blessed one," and after saying that he spoke the same words as before, but this time lightly touching the blade and as his hand moved, the shiny silvery metal was set ablaze in that fire that had no warmth. "You are done for." and after saying that he jumped against the nearest tentacle, the sword sliced through the shadow setting it ablaze.</p><p>"WHAT?!" the enemy vampire asked again, that Moriaty spell level was not something a dragon could easily master. As the tentacles were sliced one by one a form started to appear in a corner and soon the vampire was brought into the light. Cornered, he took a sword out as well and the two engaged in a vicious battle that only Jihoon's eyes could follow.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jihoon stood his ground in the middle of the fiery circle, a hand firmly holding one of Silke's. "See what I told you? We never know what will happen in the next second, doesn't matter if you live a hundred or a thousand years, you always need the excitement for tomorrow and a strong wish to protect what you hold dear." Jihoon looked back at Younghyun, then he smiled down a Silke.</p><p>The girl was too busy staring at the ongoing fight, however, eyes as wide as they would probably ever get and an expression on her face that bordered on outright panic. The hand Jihoon was holding on to tensed up so much that her knuckles were white, clenching the blood doll’s fingers together tightly in fear.</p><p>At that point other two vampires appeared by the door, they were humanoid shadows sporting long tentacles in place of their arms. "Ah, Younghyun, care to break the window? It's getting crowded here!" Jihoon called out, already expecting more vampires to show up, they never came alone.</p><p>Seeing the new enemies too, Younghyun quickly broke the window and made sure the vampire he had been fighting with wouldn't bypass him while the blood doll carried the terrified human out of the house. Easily Jihoon carried Silke in his arms, trying to hide her face in his neck. "Close your eyes, Silke, you will get motion sickness otherwise." Jumping to the garden, the blood doll knew the shadow creatures that inhabited the Umbra could come to attack them, but those he could at least fight with. Not long after, Younghyun also jumped from the window, but there were only two Undassars after him.</p><p>"I really miss Chanhyeok right now!" Younghyun said as he slashed a tentacle trying to reach for Silke.</p><p>"Yeah, me too!" Jihoon chuckled, then he saw a nearby shadow coming at them, he got one of his pet throwing knives and reached it out to one of the flames. The blade got ablaze and then the knife found the target a few meters away, setting it ablaze too.</p><p>Suddenly they heard growling, the familiar sound of a wolf warning its prey. They all looked aside to see a huge shadow wolf forming nearby, eyes shining a beautiful hypnotizing blue. That was not Chanhyeok, but the sight of the irraka made Younghyun jump closer to Jihoon and Silke to stand on a defensive position.</p><p>Along with the werewolf, two other vampires were there: Daroll and Takeshi. Now that was the first time the gangrel was visiting the Umbra, and that rescue experience would be great for their cause.</p><p>"You are betrayers of our kind!" One of the Undassar vampires sneered. "The prince won't let you do as you please! We were wrong to accept filthy gangrels in the city! You are all going to die!!!"</p><p>The Undassars charged against them. Younghyun turned his back to the enemy in favor of cupping Silke's face. "Let's get you out of here. I am sorry you were pulled into this fight." Younghyun spoke softly, bring her to a secure embrace.</p><p>A little dazed and overwhelmed with everything that happened so quickly, Silke could only shortly look up at Younghyun as he cupped her face before her eyes automatically closed again and she gave a single nod of her head. Letting an arm slide around Younghyun’s middle, she took a deep breath before opening her eyes once again and shortly glancing back at the fight once more.</p><p>But there was no longer any fight, they were at the backyard and all she could see were bright colored flower beds, the sunlight was warm and its brightness hurt at first as she was not expecting it. Jihoon fell on the ground in a heap of relief. "I really hate Undassars!" he thundered at no one in particular before he looked at the couple. "Will we have to move again?" he asked Younghyun with a pout.</p><p>"I don't know. It had not occurred to me an alliance with werewolves here could cause a political mayhem. I mean in Socheon we had influence enough against the Prince, but here it could cause Mishra serious problems." Younghyun replied, but he didn't let go of Silke, still holding her tenderly until her heart would calm down again.</p><p>Eyes going between the vampire and the blood doll, the human seemed to be calming down already, her grip on Younghyun softening until she was just gently holding him in an embrace. “Why would you have to move?” she questioned softly after a moment, clearly trying to be able to follow the conversation.</p><p>"If we piss off the vampire sovereign of this city, we will most probably be attacked daily until we are dead, so we either set things up with this ruler or we move," Younghyun replied wondering what Daroll would do.</p><p>“There are vampire sovereigns?” This time Silke’s voice already sounded a bit stronger, the girl clearly slowly getting over the shocking events.</p><p>"Yes." Younghyun smiled tenderly. "We have a hierarchy: each clan has an elder we call Antediluvian, the first vampires, they are our supreme sovereigns; beneath them are the Avengers, something like a vampire police; beneath them are the Princes, they are like vampire mayors, each city has a Prince; then there are the Sires or progenitors, the leaders of covens, Daroll and Mishra are in this category."</p><p>At that Jihoon stood up and dusted his behind. "Daroll and Chungyeol are good dealing with Princes so we might not need to move, but I have a feeling things will not be so easy and the alliance might not come out."</p><p>At that point, a couple appeared in the backyard out of nowhere, shining swords in hand. "Mishra and Henry are safe. Everything alright here?" The male asked. Younghyun turned to them, never letting go of Silke.</p><p>"Yes, fortunately, the werewolves helped to deal with the Undassars. Is Jia with Henry?" Younghyun questioned finally getting Silke towards a bench.</p><p>The male vampire nodded, "Set our defenses against those idiots, I hate the Umbra." and after saying that the couple was gone again.</p><p>"That was my oldest brother Chungyeol and his wife, Elena," Younghyun told Silke while kneeling down in front of her and firmly holding her hand. Jihoon sat beside her, his legs were still shaking, he still hated to be caught up in the middle of a fight. "I need to go set protections, I will be right back."</p><p>Silke nodded and watched Younghyun move around the house, then patiently waited when he went inside and came back almost half an hour later. Younghyun then took her back to the hotel, promising it was the safest place she could be. He didn't stay for their promised dinner, and for the next three days he didn't show up. She could tell then who were the vampires in Mishra's pack because guests were leaving, human staff were being laid off, until only the vampires and a few guests were left.</p><p>On the fourth day, Younghyun knocked on her door, but there was something slightly off about him. He seemed preoccupied, and he was dressed as if he was going to travel real soon. "Silke..." he greeted trying to put a smile on his face. "We need to move. Mishra already passed the hotel to another coven, she is leaving in two hours. We are moving to the other side of the mountain, to a city where we have more influence towards the Prince. We couldn't fully set the alliance here, but the werewolves promised they would spread the word about Mishra and our coven, saving you from the Umbra has granted us that… You will come with us, right?" At that last question, it was clear that was the only thing actually preoccupying him.</p><p>Reaching out to take hold of his hand, Silke smiled at Younghyun. Partly amused, but mostly warm. “I followed you all the way to Nishinari, I think I can handle following you to the other side of the mountain,” she spoke with a hint of a chuckle to her voice. “But thank you for asking me along.”</p><p>"You did, but being attacked by an Undassar and kidnapped into the Umbra was a huge point against me," he replied, his expression now relieved, enough for him to try and push his luck as he squeezed her hand back. "Now would you like a house for yourself, a bedroom in our new place or share my bedroom? Let me point out: where we are moving to, Mishra won't have a nice hotel, she will actually stay in the mountain."</p><p>“If it is in any way possible,” Silke stated in an almost solemn tone, her free hand coming to a rest atop Younghyun’s chest. “I go wherever you go.”</p><p>"Then sharing my bedroom it is. Pack your things we are leaving tonight." Younghyun stated happily before giving Silke a sweet kiss.</p><p>He stayed with her for the rest of the day, explaining that to avoid bigger arguments with the resident vampires they had talked with the Prince and agreed to leave their territory. Those vampires would feel in the right to kill them if the werewolves were to attack with or without their help. The city they would move to is smaller than that one, but the Prince there is someone Daroll and Chungyeol knew from way back, even before Sungmin had been added to the coven, what meant it was a really long time. As Mishra preferred the wild, she decided to settle in the mountain for at least a few decades until she herself would be on good terms with that said Prince. Aside from that, Mishra had promised to stay open to all uratha packs from then on, all because they had helped save Silke.</p><p>After the sunset, Younghyun used an advanced Moriaty spell on Silke's luggage, putting them into a small crystal pendant; the necklace went straight to her neck afterwards. Hand in hand, they walked out to the path leading to the forest, there awaiting them stood all members of the Coven. She was acquainted quickly to all of them, but the last one was certainly a huge surprise. How did Henry become a vampire? When they first met he was human, happily married even.</p><p>Henry had already been told the happenings, part of him was glad Younghyun had found his soulmate, part of him felt bitter for the timing. But he acted as he had always done so, even joking on how he had been rejected flat out before he could reject her. When all that had to be said was done, the coven departed, all of them disappearing in a blink of an eye.</p><p>"If we are to keep up with them, you need to climb on my back, and close your eyes. The speed I can run in is not very human friendly." He then joked softly.</p><p>Silke smiled at him, then easily moved to climb on his back. “I’ll be more than happy to wrap both my arms <em>and </em>legs around you for an entire trip,” she told him with a cheeky grin on her features, before adding: “And with my eyes closed I can imagine a lot of things happening.” The grin that followed those words was one very much like the usual Silke again, making it clear that the girl had made peace with most of the new things she’d come to know in the short span of the past few weeks.</p><p>The travel to the other side of the mountain took a little over three hours, with her eyes closed Silke could only feel the incredibly strong wind Younghyun could create with his moments, she never thought anything could move as fast as that, at first it was slightly scary mostly because sometimes it felt she would be sent flying if she didn't hold strongly enough, but as she got used to the speed she actually relaxed and even dared open her eyes only to close them back, the blur created by the speed easily made her head spin.</p><p>When Younghyun finally stopped they were still in the forest, at the base of the mountain. From the top of a sloop, Silke could see a traditional house up ahead, many rooms, big garden, there was even a pond. The place was beautiful. "This is where we will stay. We are a twenty minutes walk from the actual town, all rich families live nearby and they are mostly vampires, so please be careful."</p><p>Right after Younghyun said those words, Jihoon appeared at the veranda and waved at them. "We are all set, except for the protections!" he shouted and that made Younghyun chuckle.</p><p>"From the whole coven only Daroll hyung and I mastered Moriaty spells, so I am mostly the one responsible for the protections against Undassars." Younghyun felt the need to explain, but he didn't rush himself, he held Silke's hand and helped her down the sloop and into the property. Silke needed that human slow movements to get her body to recover from the supernatural experience of being faster than a bullet. When they reached Jihoon, the vampire asked his blood doll to kindly guide Silke to their room while he would set the protections. And like that Silke was once again being toured through the house, being pointed where each member of the coven was staying.</p><p>She was guided into a large room with a double bed, the were bookshelves, a desk, some cushions on a corner near the bookshelves and in one of the walls were three swords, one of them was Bloedijs. On each side of the swords there were doors, according to Jihoon, one was a private bathroom and the other was a closet. "We will most probably not face any hardships here, so think what you want to do in the future. This time I will most probably open a music school, and Younghyun will devote his time to please you. Let your imagination go wild," Jihoon said with a chuckle, but then he held Silke's hand and gave her a small red glass bottle in the shape of a drop, it was tied to a chain and looked like a beautiful necklace. "This is Younghyun's blood, if you drink it, you will become a blood doll. We all carry one of those for emergencies. Younghyun will most probably not talk about this matter with you unless you bring it up, so just think through and make a decision when your heart settles. Good night, Silke."</p><p>Looking at the teardrop pendant in her hand for a little while after the blood doll had left the room, Silke didn’t really know what to think of it. So eventually she just hung the necklace around her neck before looking around. Her luggage was still magically stored away in the other necklace somehow, so she couldn’t quite settle in yet, but there was very little else for her to do either. So in the end she just moved to take a seat and wait for Younghyun to show up again.</p><p>It didn't take much longer for Younghyun to be back, but instead of talking to her or anything else he stood in the middle of the room and spoke some weird words, then he made movements as if he was throwing things in the directions of each corner of the room. Only when that was over, did he look at Silke on the bed and smiled, he then said other strange words and her stuff appeared out from the pendant. Younghyun put them on a corner before joining her in bed. "Now we are all secure from undassars. Tomorrow I can take you on a tour in the forest to see where Mishra will stay, would you like to?"</p><p>Silke responded with a nod of her head, smiling back at him before shortly glancing over at her things. “So we’ll be staying here for a while then?” she inquired next, as her gaze moved back to Younghyun. “This is our room now?” A somewhat amused hint started to touch the corners of her mouth as she kept her gaze on the vampire. “Don’t we have to get married first?”</p><p>Younghyun laughed as he looked at her. "Yes this is our room, and you can re-decorate it as you see fit. As for marrying, you say date and time and I will be there… on an inside note though, the coven is already addressing you as my wife." His tone was light and as amused as she seemed to be. He wondered then, for how long she would be his wife.</p><p>Reaching out a hand, Silke gently rested it on Younghyun’s leg, her expression shifting into a more serious, but somehow warm one. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said after a moment, stroking over his leg before adding: “I’m glad <em>we’re </em>here.”</p><p>And for the rest of the night, the newest couple of the coven kept reassuring each other of how important that connection was. The next day Younghyun toured Silke through the forest, showing all the trails and the caves in which Mishra would reside with her coven, as well as they would once again live as a pack of red foxes.</p><p>As Younghyun had said, life there was quiet. The coven set their businesses, and thrived as usual. The vampires in the neighborhood didn't bother them, sticking to strictly social interactions. If anything, they really seemed to be an unusual but plain human family, the only exception being Henry and his newborn restrictions to sunlight. In the span of three years they had lived like that, Silke would question things about the newborn predicaments, question more about the clans and the means to defend themselves, but she never brought up the request to become a blood doll. She would take personal information as they were given, delighting herself with the funny tales of Younghyun's life as a human, their adventures and whatever details the other vampires would offer. The only one she didn't learn much about was Daroll, but that was to be expected as the vampire was the epitome of discretion.</p><p>The couple was coming back from a nice dinner in town when Younghyun's smile vanished. He picked up a scent that seemed familiar, but at the same time he couldn't remember where he felt if before. When the memory did come to him, he kindly asked Silke to haste her step because they had a visitor. When they finally got to the garden where the coven was reunited, conversing with a red haired female vampire, silence took place as their guest stared at the couple.</p><p>"Another pet? And this one is not even a Blood Doll?" the vampire mocked with a resigned snort. "You guys really don't learn, no wonder the Artisan wants to talk with Daroll."</p><p>Younghyun rolled his eyes at the expected greeting. "Hello, Natasha, good evening to you too." he mocked back before he turned to Silke. "She is an Avenger, Silke, her name is Natasha. An old acquaintance." after saying that he turned back to their unexpected guest. "This is Silke, my companion," he added stressing the last word.</p><p>"Whatever, Baby," She then turned back to Daroll. "I passed on the message. I will be with Mishra until you decide when is best to leave." and after saying that she covered her face with the cloak and vanished into the forest.</p><p>"Leave?" Younghyun asked, he had never met the Artisan but he knew the Antediluvian hardly invited his progeny home.</p><p>"He wants to see me, preferably alone. He stated though that I could bring Chungyeol if I want to but no one else. I should be gone for a few days." Daroll replied, he glanced at Chungyeol and soon after both walked back into the house, that was enough to get the rest of the coven to scatter. Whatever Daroll decided they would know the next morning.</p><p>Getting back into their room, Younghyun stood in front of his swords and stared at Bloedijs. An angry frown on his face.</p><p>Following his movements, Silke came to a stop right behind him, putting a hand gently on his back. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly, eyes taking in the sword. She had seen it often before, but never paid particular attention to it. Now, with Younghyun’s angry frown, she wondered if it had anything to do with the sword or more so with the fact that Daroll was leaving them for a while. “Is something not alright?”</p><p>"When the Artisan is involved nothing is ever alright," Younghyun sighed. "Remember I told you each clan has an Antediluvian that rules over us? The Artisan is our progenitor of progenitors. He crafts weapons, the most deadly ones, the highest desire of any vampire from any clan. He only crafts weapons for those that are able to find him, finding him is nearly impossible. The only ones that had been able to approach him are the ones he allowed to. In our coven, only me and Henry had not met with him but he crafted weapons for Daroll, Chungyeol and Sungmin. We are respected and feared because of that, that is also the reason why we have influence with quite a number of Princes. The last time the Artisan approached us, was when I got Bloedijs," after saying that Younghyun turned to Silke and tried to smile. "Every time he talks to dad, we always receive a gift, something that will help with 'something great that we will do in the future'. Being fully honest, I am scared every time his name is mentioned."</p><p>“Why are you scared if he gives you gifts?” Silke questioned, taking in the sword Younghyun had been looking at once more. “Isn’t it good that you guys get helpful things from him?” A moment longer of taking in the sword on the wall and a new question followed. “What’s so dangerous about your sword?”</p><p>"His weapons are always double edged. The weapon he made for Daroll can obliterate souls because it uses the soul of his unborn child as blade. Chungyeol had to choose between keeping the sword the Artisan made for him or keeping Elena alive, you know what he chose. Sungmin's sword enhances his fetish for blood, that's why he can't control his feeding, that makes him feels dislocated in the coven." Younghyun replied softly, looking at the sword again.</p><p>That was not something he had wanted to talk about with Silke, he was not planning to ever talk about that. But with the old hag around, memories of the day he was acquantainted to Bloedijs' curse, Jihoon's expression, his words, his fears. His reaction to the news of Silke being Mio's reincarnation; his dislike to the idea of her joining the coven. Those were things that needed be said. He took in a deep breath, then walked back to the bed, only after laying down and looking at the ceiling did he continue.</p><p>"Bloedijs is a lesser sword compared to the ones especially made for a Blessed as the Artisan calls the receivers of his weapons. In my hands it is a formidable sword, cuts through anything like cutting through butter. If anyone else tries to use it, the blade becomes blunt. Other than me, only Daroll and Jihoon can use that sword. Sounds great, right? The catch is: if not in my hands the blade is only sharp against me. Bloedijs is a curse triggered by my blood."</p><p>Taking it all in, Silke frowned lightly. “I don’t see the problem?” she spoke softly. “If only Jihoon and Daroll can use it aside from you then you’re fine. Neither of them would ever use this sword to harm you. Or do you think they might one day?”</p><p>Younghyun laughed. "I had always thought the old hag was too full of himself, trying to seed doubt between us when he knew very well that we would never turn against each other. But only after meeting you again did I understand his true purpose, he gave me the sword to tempt Jihoon to kill you."</p><p>Silke’s eyes widened in surprise. “Kill me? Why? What does this have to do with me?” she questioned quickly, clearly a little shocked at the implication that the blood doll would try to kill her. “Have I done something I don’t remember? Is there something going on between him and me that I should be aware of?” And then, because she couldn’t help herself, her expression momentarily lightened by a smile. “Or between him and you?”</p><p>Younghyun couldn't help but laugh at her last question, even when he was that deeply worried she managed to lighten his heart. Sitting back on the bed he reached for her and got her to sit on his lap, holding her tightly and hiding his face in her neck. "The curse is triggered by my blood, Silke, if you become my blood doll you will be able to use Bloedijs to kill me. Jihoon did feel tempted to kill you, he couldn't trust you at first, not with the timing you showed up. Remember he kept questioning your feelings? He wanted to make sure he can trust my requiem in your hands," After saying that, Younghyun once again looked at her. "He said he gave you several tests, and you passed all of them but the last one, which he is still waiting for your answer."</p><p>“I don’t know anything about any tests,” Silke responded with a little frown, before sighing. Her arms had automatically wrapped around Younghyun, but now she also rested her head against his. “I do know he was annoying me to no end in the beginning. Honestly, though, he should give people a little time to get used to things before starting his interrogations.”</p><p>"He said you could have been sent by one of our enemies, someone that learned about Mio. He was annoying you because of that." Younghyun replied, glad that she said nothing about Bloedijs and a future connection with herself. Younghyun pulled her to bed then, laying down and just closing his eyes, laying in her arms, quietly listening to her heart beat. That kind of warmth, that quiet companionship. They kept conversing like that, talking about all the conspirator ideas Jihoon had come up with in the span of three hours after finding out about Silke.</p><p>The next day, Younghyun was slightly edgy, even more as Daroll informed he would go alone talk with the Artisan, the harmless cane that contained his unborn child's soul in hand. Chungyeol would stay because Henry still needed protection and Silke was someone that required even more members of the coven to look after.</p><p>Daroll was gone for five days, he returned unscathed from his meeting with their progenitor of progenitors, and he came back with the latest gifts: a sword for Henry and a new Moriaty Spell Book.</p><p>When Henry was given his sword, Younghyun had expected his blood to activate some trick, but absolutely nothing happened. Henry moved it around to feel its weight as Daroll explained the sword.</p><p>"That is an Eclipse sword, it's a typical Moriaty Sword, in other words, a sword especially made for Moriaty vampires. When you kill an enemy with that sword, it takes and imprisons your enemy's soul. The more souls it gathers the more lethal the blade becomes to the point you wouldn't even need the blade to hit your enemy for him to get hurt. Every Super Blue Blood Moon the souls are released. This sword in particular was named Eclipse Dragon." Daroll explained.</p><p>Henry was so to say surprised, his instant reaction was to reach the sword back to Daroll, firmly proclaiming he didn’t want to imprison souls, he didn’t feel the least bit attracted to fights to begin with. But Daroll convinced him with a simple explanation.</p><p>“You don’t need to fear the sword’s power Henry, think of it as a tool to protect yourself and us. A vampire that attempts against our blood dolls, a pure blood werewolf that might attack us, these are the souls you would imprison with Eclipse Dragon. No innocent soul would befall this fate, you won’t need to worry. Also they would be released eventually, think of the imprisonment as a punishment for the crimes those vampires and werewolves committed against humans, innocent clueless humans such as Guifei.” Daroll explained firmly holding Henry’s hand, forcing the younger to keep holding the sword.</p><p>But Younghyun thought it was strange the initial explanation ended there.</p><p>The others were not very familiar with Moriaty stuff, mostly because Younghyun and Daroll were the ones that devoted time to learn more abilities of that bloodline. He knew for a fact that every Super Blue Blood Moon was the souls chance for revenge. Once released, they could move on and escape, or they could seek revenge on the vampire that had kept them captive. Younghyun approached Henry and asked to see the sword. The blade was exactly as he had seen in the books, he recognized the spell inscriptions that were responsible for capturing the souls. But the guard and grip were different, they didn't have the protective spells to guard the owner during the Super Blue Blood Moon, instead it had a rapier-like guard sculpted as a dragon, the tip of the dragon's tail connecting to the pommel that was undoubtedly a soul-gem, where the souls would be imprisoned; the grip was made of a white nacre adorned with a golden chain spiraling from the dragon to the gem holder in the shape of a claw. A Dragon Eclipse Sword. Daroll was definitely hiding something and Younghyun devoted the next week to find out what it was.</p><p>The right spell to find out the truth came in the second gift, the Moriaty spell book had a large number of advanced spells, it would take centuries to be able to master any of those. Daroll noticed Younghyun's efforts and decided to intervene by telling him the truth. When Daroll was given the sword, he knew it was crafted by the Artisan. Like Bloedijs, it was a lesser sword as it didn't require large amounts of the owner’s blood to be crafted, but it required blood to be activated. Not wanting to have Henry deeply connected to anything related to the Nameless, on his way back, Daroll activated the sword. Every Super Blue Blood Moon, when the souls would be released, they would seek the death of the sword's owner, instead of going after Henry, they would go after Daroll. Only mastering the new spell book would Daroll be safe from the unleashed rage.</p><p>Younghyun truly started to hate the Artisan. Giving such a sword to Henry was a death sentence and a way to mentally torture Younghyun. The sword only exists because of his mistake, if Daroll had not felt forced to embrace Henry, the sword wouldn't exist, Henry would not receive such a gift and Daroll would have not been put in danger every freaking 19 years. What exactly the Artisan wanted of them?</p><p>After learning the truth, Younghyun went back to his bedroom, he took Bloedijs out of the wall and rested its blade on his hand, but not even tightly holding to the blade would hurt him. The sword given to Henry was something like an opposite of Bloedijs. "The future the Artisan sees better be one hell of a future..." Younghyun mumbled angrily.</p><p>Once again Silke was left to wonder about whatever went on in her lover’s mind, but she did not try and push him on the subject. Instead she calmly reached to take the sword out of his hands - by the hilt, though, not wanting to cut herself despite his explanations - and put it back in its position on the wall. When she returned to Younghyun, she easily cupped his face with her hands, stroking over his cheek with her thumb.</p><p>“I don’t know what’s going through your mind right now, but how about you let go of it and instead take me out to do something nice?” she spoke up softly.</p><p>Younghyun closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. That matter was something he couldn't fully let go, but he wouldn't let the Artisan ruin his time with Silke. Younghyun smiled then and for the rest of the day he was out and about with Silke, doing whatever she wanted to do.</p><p>A few days later it was Younghyun's dutiful sleep day, an extra set of protections was cast in the room and a little past noon, the vampire fell asleep. As usual, all members of the coven stayed home, guarding. Jihoon decided to stay in Younghyun's room with Silke, but his eyes were kept on Bloedijs for the first half an hour of Younghyun's sleeping time. Silke looked at the sword shortly, then she looked at Jihoon, having made up her mind.</p><p>"Jihoon, why don't we have some tea and cookies while we wait?" She asked softly, moving from the armchair and the book she was reading to the bed, sitting beside her lover and caressing his hair.</p><p>The Blood Doll looked at her and smiled. "I guess we could, I will go get them." and after saying that, he exited the room.</p><p>Silke stayed by Younghyun's side for a while longer, her hand playing with the red bottle Jihoon gave her years before. She looked at the sword then, the origin of both Younghyun and Jihoon’s curse, their path to prove the Artisan wrong. The ones he loves most would never betray Younghyun. Never.</p><p>Making up her mind, Silke removed the necklace and quietly pulled the bottle open. The strong scent of blood filled her senses and she frowned quite disgusted. She had never imagined herself drinking blood, let alone the blood of her boyfriend. But she had made up her mind. Holding her breath, she gulped down the content of the bottle. It was a matter of seconds later that she felt her senses increasing. From where she was, with the bedroom door closed, she could hear the servants talking downstairs. It was like people were talking in the room, no, they seemed to be talking inside her head. There were many scents mingling in the air too and when she finally opened her eyes she could see details she had never noticed before. Silke felt very dizzy with all the sudden inputs her brain was receiving.</p><p>She closed her eyes again and took in deep breaths. She tried to organize her thoughts and pay attention to just one sound, while she was choosing on what to pay attention, she heard Jihoon calling all the way from the kitchen. “Silke, why did you drink his blood? Why doing it in his most vulnerable state?”</p><p>The answer was very clear for the new Blood Doll. “Exactly because it <em>is</em> his most vulnerable state," She spoke softly, hoping Jihoon could hear her. “He has been restless because of this Artisan, and so have you. I want to show him, I want to help him prove this guy wrong. If he throws bullshit on you, why not throw it back at him?"</p><p>After saying that, Silke once again opened her eyes, she focused her senses on standing up and walking to the swords on the wall. Her human eyes were so imperfect, they could have never seen all those beautiful snowy details Bloedijs displayed only to supernatural eyes. As she had done a few times before, she reached for the hilt, but as it have never happened before the white surface immediately turned blood red at her mere touch. Taking it from the wall she turned to Younghyun. Jihoon was back by the door. Watching what she was doing with a frown.</p><p>"Why no cookie and tea?" She teased with her usual carefree smile, but her hand moved, resting the blade on her free hand. The soft luminescence of the shield activated. "I understand this Artisan of yours is a high profile, and he can do with you, with us, whatever he wants. But if he wants you to do something great in the future, he shouldn't toy with you as he does. If you don't like a gifts he gave you, then just throw it in the trash." she spoke duly then, forcing the blade against her hand, strongly holding the sword so she could break it somehow.</p><p>"Silke, are you out of your mind?!" Jihoon shouted, he took a step towards her, but that was all he did as he felt himself hoping she could just do it. He has always hated Bloedijs, but he had never dared do more than put it away when Younghyun finished his fights.</p><p>"I am… perfectly… sane!" Silke tried to speak through all the effort she was exerting, until the hilt and the blade finally disconnected. The blade fell on the ground carelessly, the hilt in Silke's hand became white once again.</p><p>"She broke the curse." Chungyeol mumbled quite startling Silke. Despite her new abilities, she had not noticed that all member of the coven had entered the room and were speechlessly watching her, doubting she would succeed.</p><p>Silke merely smirked at them. "Ops… I broke it." she still dared joke. Daroll came forth and tried to pick up the broken blade, but it cut his hand as any other platinum sword would. Elena quickly got a piece of cloth to pick up the deadly blade while Chungyeol inspected the hilt.</p><p>"I definitely approve of you for Younghyun," Chungyeol stated then, throwing the piece of decorated metal to Jihoon. "I believe there is another sword that needs some breaking," he added as he exited the room and there was no one that would hold him back from trying to break Eclipse Dragon apart. Knowing that, Elena, Jia and Sungmin followed him to see the outcome of his experiment. The others stayed in the room to wait for the young vampire to wake up.</p><p>And when Younghyun did so, he was confused, elated and truthfully a bit worried with what he found waiting for him. Especially because when he held Bloedijs’ hilt it once again became red, he once again felt like little icy cold needles were piercing his soul, the blade came flying back and attaching itself back in place. For a moment they all thought that Younghyun had reactivated the curse, easily like that.</p><p>Silke reached out scolding Younghyun and saying she would break it again, but the hilt didn't turn red when her hand closed on it, Jihoon also tried it out, getting the very same result. Daroll reached out for the blade and as he expected the shield didn't activate. But when the sword was back in Younghyun's hand a red dragon appeared in the hilt, as if engraved in the white icy nacre.</p><p>Moments later they heard Chungyeol cursing from downstairs. When the coven assembled to see what happened they found Zoe in the living room, happily eating cookies. Chungyeol was reading a letter, which he gave to Daroll, while promising one day he would teach the Artisan a lesson.</p><p>The letter read: Congratulations on finally breaking Bloedjis curse! Took Younghyun long enough to find his destined weapon, nothing beats a woman's intuition. <em>He</em> dislikes vampires born from love because most of the time, they die too soon exactly because of it. Best of luck. Sahyon. Ps. Soon you will have all chess pieces so you can meet your destinies. We will be watching closely.</p><p>At that point Younghyun didn't know whom he hated more, the Artisan or that stupid destiny.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Tiende Lied – The Tenth Chord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While Silke tried to adjust to the Blood Doll life and the cravings of the blood addiction, Sungmin found himself another trouble to take care of. While living in Nishinari, Sungmin found himself attached to an old lady who cleaned their house. She was so lively and full of spirits for her age, it was highly entertaining for him. Also, the old lady seemed to dote on him too, more than the other members of his coven, probably because he was single and didn't have so much work to deal with as Daroll had.</p><p>Sungmin liked the old lady so much that he was the only one who noticed she didn't come to work. And when she showed up again about three weeks later, he was the only one clinging to her, pleading for her not to disappear without a notice again. And he was the only one to whom she opened up to. Sungmin felt sad for her when she told him she had gone to Tokano to bury her daughter and her son-in-law who suddenly died in a car accident. At such an old age, she had been waiting for the day her daughter would send her to heaven, she never expected to be the one sending her daughter. No parents should pass through that, she said in tears.</p><p>Sungmin had tried to comfort her, he had buried his fair share of loved ones. He recalled some blurred human memories of sending his parents away, promising he would take care of his younger siblings, at one point he was constantly worrying at failing to fulfill that promise. He became a vampire so he could do it. So many centuries had passed and he was still sending loved ones away. It was with some contentment when she said at least her daughter had left her someone to look after, or she wouldn't be there anymore.</p><p>From that point onward the old lady was always talking about her granddaughter, Nina, her reason to stand strong. Sungmin had been the one arranging things then, so the old lady could live safely with her granddaughter, he convinced her to move in as an in-house maid. He would never forget that day they moved in. She was ten years old when Sungmin first saw the girl and he watched her grow. Sungmin saw himself creating a little bubble, where that old lady was his grandmother and Nina was his sister, it was a make-believe he fully immersed. Years later when he noticed Nina was falling he couldn't keep still.</p><p>The changes were subtle at first, her temper flaring up, she coming home late, skipping school. She became a rebellious student who hated whenever her grandmother tried anything for her. The old lady tried to defend her whenever Sungmin commented she had to be a little sterner with the girl. She always seemed to have a statement ready. 'She lost her parents at such a young age and above all had to move to the countryside'.</p><p>Things seemed to go overly wrong when she went to high school. Her schoolmates saw her entering the mansion, noticed the luxury items she used and started treating her as if she was rich and she had not told them otherwise, mostly because she really considered herself as part of Sungmin’s family. For almost two years she had been able to sustain that misunderstanding until her grandmother was called to talk with her teacher to discuss her plans for the future. When it was revealed Nina was no rich heir, but a mere housekeeper's granddaughter, her classmates started to shun her away and mistreat her. After that, she started to skip school and befriended people she shouldn't have.</p><p>That was when it started. She kept asking for extra pocket money. At seeing her grandmother couldn't give her more, she resorted to illicit means. After selling most of her jewelry and expensive clothes, she usually targeted Sungmin's belongings as it seemed he was an idiot that couldn't for the life in him notice his expensive accessories were slowly disappearing. In truth Sungmin had first thought she was trying to regain her classmates by using new expensive stuff to school, so he didn't mind her taking his bracelets and necklaces. But as his stuff kept on vanishing, Nina's scent started to change, her behavior was getting odder and odder. </p><p>The school called out to her grandmother again, this time to ask why Nina kept missing classes, why she kept picking up fights with other girls and why her grades plummeted. Of course, her grandmother had no answers in front of a warning about Nina being expelled from school. At first, talks had seemed to work, her scent was slowly losing that dreadful component, she seemed to be getting back on the line, but then the bad smell was back, slightly stronger even. Sungmin decided to get to the bottom of it. Without her noticing, he followed her to see what she did with her days. What he found left him heartbroken.</p><p>Nina took his expensive accessories to exchange for drugs, her scent has changed because her blood was impregnated of harmful substances. Sungmin thought about killing her suppliers, but that wouldn't help, she would try to get stuff from other places.</p><p>While he tried to come up with a solution, even thinking about asking for Daroll to intervene. He noticed she eagerly told her grandmother that she would help with cleaning the house, taking her cleaning utensils to Elena and Chungyeol's room. That was a bad sign, so Sungmin placed himself outside the room. He waited until Nina exited, the girl was evidently surprised at seeing her young master there, laying against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and an angry expression on his face.</p><p>"Young master," Nina mumbled in a slight mockery. Since she started calling him like that Sungmin felt she was stabbing his unbeating heart. </p><p>Nina bowed quickly, then she tried to flee the scene as fast as she could. But as quickly, Sungmin held her back, firmly holding her arm. Then he reached his free hand in a gesture that showed he wanted her to give him something.</p><p>"It seems it was wrong of me to keep a blind eye on you taking my stuff. I didn't say anything, but Elena won't let it go, especially if you took any of the jewelry Chungyeol had given her." Sungmin said, sternly.</p><p>He felt her pulse accelerate, she stuttered some unintelligible sounds before she cleared her throat. "I didn't take anything, young master. I don't know what you are talking about."</p><p>Sungmin felt angry, he couldn't understand why her lies and her circumstances were causing him such pain. He felt infuriated both at her and at himself because as he said, it was the fact that he kept a blind eye on her stealing from him that made her a drug addict. </p><p>Holding her arm with a stronger grip, Nina wailed as he seethed "Give me what you took."</p><p>She still tried to play the saint, shouting he was hurting her. So he reached for her pocket and found there one of Elena's favorite necklaces, one Chungyeol had given her when they were still living with Younghyun's mother. That necklace held many important memories. Nina tried to fight for the item with Sungmin, letting go of her façade.</p><p>"Ni… Nina..." Both heard her grandmother calling. When they looked at the old lady, she was falling. The sight of her granddaughter being caught stealing from their masters was the last straw to her already frail heart.</p><p>They both let the golden necklace fall. Sungmin quickly rushed to the old lady. His sincere panic had stunned Nina, who saw herself years back, crying and trying to shake her parents awake after the accident. The commotion brought other employees to the scene, including Daroll who had just arrived home with Chungyeol.</p><p>They sent the old lady to the hospital, but amidst the chaos, Nina disappeared.</p><p>The girl didn't take the necklace, but she was gone. Sungmin only noticed her absence when the doctor asked for her family. Daroll took the guardian position for his employee while Sungmin left the hospital in a rush to look for Nina. His unbeating heart felt too heavy, it felt like a bad premonition that he was going to find her in a worse situation. </p><p>It took Sungmin an hour to locate her scent, she was in an abandoned construction site along with other humans. Three guys were hovering over Nina, one was taking off her shoes, and another one was holding her coat. Those were expensive items Sungmin had given the girl on her last birthday. The third guy was doing something to her, he couldn't see exactly what but he could hear him mumbling, saying that if she was not going to bring him goods anymore then she had no use, and was just going to give her one last gift.</p><p>When the guy stood he threw a syringe away and motioned for the other two to leave with him. Sungmin got to her after they were gone. The guy had drugged her, she had difficulty breathing, she was trying to grab onto anything, mouthing something akin to a plea of help. Sungmin felt her vitals dropping, in a panic he sank his teeth on her neck. He thought that if he drank her poisoned blood she would avoid dying of an overdose, but the drug had a side effect on him, he couldn't control his feeding, suddenly he felt a pulse of power coursing through him. It was exhilarating, it didn't taste good but the power felt so tempting. He had tasted something like that before, but it was so much more powerful now.</p><p>Nina was about to die from Sungmin feeding on her, but Daroll forced Sungmin away and quickly gave her some of his blood. Turning her into a blood doll, he saved her.</p><p>The vampire vitae quickly worked on her cure and in no time she was crying her heart out, shouting she just wanted to die. She had killed her parents and her grandmother, so she should just die. Sungmin was shocked by everything, especially with the fact that Daroll had followed him.</p><p><em>You take care of her</em>. It was clearly written on his sire’s face as he briefly looked at Sungmin before vanishing. That had helped Sungmin get a grip on himself. He approached the human girl and pulled her into his embrace. She kept crying for a while longer until it downed on her. She was supposed to be dead with an overdose, how did they save her?</p><p>In her sudden realization, Nina pulled out of Sungmin’s arms by pushing the vampire away. Her push was so strong and the vampire was so unprepared, that he was sent flying and crushed against the opposite wall, breaking it over.</p><p>“What did you do to me?!” She asked in a panic. “What are you?!”</p><p>Sungmin walked back, wincing in pain, that was gonna bruise so badly if he didn't take a snack soon. Letting his eyes shine bright red and his fangs show, Sungmin showed off what he really is.</p><p>“Vampire?” Nina asked with a mumble. “Did you turn me into a vampire?!” she asked in even more panic looking down at her hands.</p><p>“No,” Sungmin replied, getting back into his human façade. “You were given vampire blood so we could save you. You are what we call a Blood Doll. You are still human, but now you have a few vampire powers.”</p><p>Nina fell down. Vampire? Blood Dolls? What was going on? Was she just suffering from a drug-induced delusion? She felt utterly scared when a hand landed on her shoulder, but when she looked up and saw Sungmin looking at her with a worried expression, she felt strangely safe, his presence was familiar enough to make her heart calm down.</p><p>"I had to save you because I wouldn't bear watching your grandmother bury yet another loved one," Sungmin spoke softly, but those words made Nina feel apprehensive. All the talk about vampires became unimportant as the knowledge that her grandmother was alive sank in her head.</p><p>Sungmin smiled slightly, despite her rebellious attitude, Nina loved her grandmother. </p><p>"Will… she will be alright, right?" Nina mumbled, curling in herself even more.</p><p>"She will. She is recovering in the hospital. She only had a minor concussion from the fall. She will be home in a day or two. Now, what do we do with you, silly?" Sungmin replied, softly. His heart filling with worry, once again.</p><p>"I will… I will straighten up… I had wanted to for a while, but I couldn't shake off the chains the drugs had on me… I kept telling myself it would be the last time… but every time I tried to stop it just became worse." Nina confided, looking up to find Sungmin's eyes in hopes of finding strength.</p><p>Sungmin felt bad for the girl, the drugs were now the least of her problems. Sitting on the ground and pulling Nina more comfortably in his embrace, he spoke all the truth he knew she needed. It was not going to be pleasant, but she needed to know her actions had led her to a dangerous place.</p><p>"Nina, I am sorry, but I only delayed your death from an overdose." he started.</p><p>Those words made Nina feel cold all over. She looked at him with desperate eyes. "You said you saved me! I feel cured! I don't even feel the drugs! I don't feel the need to take them anymore! Why should I still die of an overdose?!" she started crying again, even though she had earlier said she wanted to die, that was only because she thought she was left alone in the world, now that she knew it was not the case, her will to live and break free from her mistakes just got that much stronger.</p><p>With care, Sungmin cleared the tear tracks with his thumbs. "The vampire vitae in you will slowly fade away, in about two to three weeks, your body will slowly go back to the state it was in before you drank the blood. If you don't drink vampire blood again before that, you will die of an overdose," he explained, getting confused with the glint in her eyes. It was a mix of resignation and a plea.</p><p>Nina fisted Sungmin's jacket. "That… that means you will decide when I will die?"</p><p>The petit vampire smiled amicably. "I told you I don't want your grandmother to lose yet another loved one, so for as long as she is here I will keep you healthy, I will protect you. I will keep doting on you as I had been. After she leaves, the choice is yours if you want to go with her or stay with me."</p><p>Nina frowned. She couldn't understand why he was doing that, why he was going through such lengths. Why did a vampire care so much about an old human lady? Sungmin was very strange, the strangest among her young masters. She remembered the first few days after she moved in, Sungmin had been all smiles. He would always eat with them instead of eating with his family, he would always be lurking around the kitchen while her grandmother was cooking, even cracking jokes whenever she would forget a pan on the oven. He was always trying to make her smile, he was always giving her expensive gifts. She had felt like part of his family, his little sister. Even more, as she had been mistaken as a rich heir.</p><p>But when her classmates ostracized her, when she was humiliated for being a mere commoner. She had been angry with them, with her grandmother for being poor and with Sungmin for mocking her with his gifts. She was the one that twisted his sincerity, she was the one that chose wrongly, but he still watched over her. He had let her steal from him… that… "Did you know? That I was taking drugs? If my grandmother was so important to you why didn't you stop me?!" anger flared again with new tears as she realized he could have stopped her so much sooner, saved her so much sooner.</p><p>Sungmin quickly shook his head. "I thought you were trying to show off to your classmates, that you were using my stuff to get back at them. It was only a few days back when I stupidly recognized why your scent was changing, why your moods would swing so abruptly. I intervened today to let you know that I would do anything to help you out. I didn't expect your grandmother to find out like that. I wanted to protect you, I am sorry I didn't do a better job."</p><p>His pained expression made something inside of her jump, something clawed at her heart. "Why would you want me to stay with you?" she asked next, she could feel his sincerity with every inch of her being. It was so strange; she suddenly felt a connection with Sungmin. As if she knew him from somewhere else.</p><p>"I feel responsible for what happened to you. If I had acted sooner, you wouldn't be in this situation; we wouldn't be having this conversation. I must honor my debt to you." Sungmin replied truthfully, she and her grandmother made him remember his human life, as much as his most cherished moments of his requiem.</p><p>Nina fell silent, trying to digest all that had happened to her, her hold on Sungmin never slacked though. After a while, Sungmin kindly pulled Nina away. "Let's go stay by your grandmother now." He smiled softly, but then looked at the wreckage Nina caused by throwing him earlier. After standing up, he helped her up and guided her to the rumble. He picked up a medium-sized piece of concrete and put it in her hand.</p><p>Nina looked at the piece then just stared in question at Sungmin. "Squeeze." He said simply and slightly confused she did as she was told. The concrete crumbled at the strength she used as if she was squeezing sand. She instantly let go, overly surprised.</p><p>"Woa! Why? What is this?" She questioned while Sungmin just chuckled.</p><p>"Vampire strength," he told her softly. "From now on you need to be careful when holding things. Now you also have inhuman speed, you can still run at a human pace, but at using inhuman speed you need to be careful for whenever you pass, humans will think a strong gust of wind had passed by. You need to be careful about these two things."</p><p>Nina stared dazedly at Sungmin for a moment longer, strength and speed. With those new powers, she could get back at her classmates and even on those bastards that got her addicted on drugs. She pictured it in her head, but then the small smile that came up to her vanished. If she was careless she would not be bullied, she would be treated as a monster. The thought scared her more than the current way she was being treated at school.</p><p>"Let's try out a run?" Sungmin once again offered her his hand. His small smile turned into a grin as she looked back at him, firmly grabbing his hand. Her expression a little lost, still confused with the sudden changes.</p><p>Sungmin guided her all the way back to the mansion, in an incredible run, throughout that Nina also noticed her sight, hearing, and flair had improved. The strangest of that experience was the moment they arrived. All her masters but Daroll were in the house, and just by the scents, she could tell who were the vampires and who were blood dolls like her. She shook her head making a face. "Too sweet!" she complained gaining a few glares and her hair being messed by Sungmin.</p><p>"You will get used with it in no time," Sungmin told her, pushing her lightly so she could go change clothes and finally get back to the hospital.</p><p>Of course, everybody in the mansion was already aware of what happened, courtesy of Daroll sending over an ethereal bird. Chungyeol had wanted to nag, but at that moment he couldn't say anything. He didn't sense her scent changing, he had counted her behavior as a normal teenage stage, he couldn't criticize Sungmin. However, Younghyun was curious if Sungmin had found a companion just like he did. So he was the one to question. "Is she your companion, hyung?"</p><p>Sungmin pondered his question, he tried to understand his feelings. It was very different from what he felt towards Seungi and even later towards Kangdae. He had enjoyed their company, their scent, he had wanted to keep them close and protected. He had wanted them to know his everything and accept who he is. He didn't feel any of that with Nina. The girl had something different, there was some sort of familiarity while looking at her. He didn't want to keep her, he wanted to see her grow, form a family, live happily. He wanted to protect her, but he didn't want her to be involved in his supernatural life. He wanted to protect her from the shadows. Like he did towards his human family, as he did with a few humans that had crossed his path. Sungmin ultimately shook his head. "No, she is not. I owe her a debt. I failed to protect her human life, she was forced into our reality so I will keep on protecting her until she deems she needs me."</p><p>That had sounded slightly odd to Younghyun, but the way Sungmin spoke had made Chungyeol remember a talk he had with Daroll way back when Nina was first introduced to them. Daroll told him that Nina had felt familiar, as if he had met her before but he couldn't pinpoint when or where. He had asked if Chungyeol had felt something similar, his sincere reply was negative. Nina didn't feel any different from all the other humans they had crossed paths with. But at that moment Chungyeol thought that maybe Nina could be the reincarnation of someone important that had been part of Sungmin's life, that had to be the connection since Daroll and Sungmin shared each other's blood, and only someone related to the progeny would make the progenitor react. He kept that thought to himself, but he would discuss that with Daroll later.</p><p>It didn't take long for Nina to come back, properly dressed and eager to go see her grandmother. Sungmin was the one to take her to the hospital. There the reunion was heartfelt. At the old woman's plea, Nina promised to straighten up, to become a role model, as long as her grandmother would not leave her all alone in the world. At being questioned about the theft, Nina worriedly looked at Sungmin and Daroll, but then told her grandmother she was not trying to steal, she just wanted to borrow the necklace to use at the school festival.</p><p>Sungmin had to use his manipulative powers to quiet the grandmother and make her believe wholehearted in all Nina was saying and promising. That had helped the old lady to regain her will to live and protect her family. No longer than two days later Nina and her grandmother were back at the mansion. The girl kept her promises, focusing on her studies and even helping on the chores. Daily, in every meal, Sungmin would join the two humans, creating a lovely bubble where the vampire was part of their family.</p><p>Things were going smoothly. Nina was controlling just fine her new powers, Sungmin kept giving her blood to maintain her health, she no longer picked up fights, knowing she could easily kill someone. Nina decided to ignore the other students and just focus on herself. But petty human kids had always been a pain. When in the next tests Nina came out as first place, she was accused of cheating during the tests. Her family was called over, but the old lady demanded her granddaughter to be trusted, so they agreed on Nina taking tests separately, she once again got all answers right. She had felt avenged, but later, while talking with Sungmin alone in their backyard, she confessed she did feel like she was cheating, after all, it was the vampire vitae the reason she developed some sort of photographic memory. Sungmin countered that if she had not paid attention in class and reviewed everything she had previously slacked off on, she wouldn't have anything to remember for the tests, she shouldn't look down on her own hard work.</p><p>Nina used that experience to tone down her school life, she no longer came in first place on the following tests, but she kept herself in the top 25 just so she could make her grandmother feel proud.</p><p>Even though the following year had been their happiest, it was also their last. Nina's grandmother passed away in her sleep, leaving the whole mansion in a gloomy mood. Sungmin's sadness at possibly losing the two of them so soon had worried Daroll, but it was Nina's pain the hardest to deal with.</p><p>After sending off her last family member, Nina disappeared from the mansion for days. Sungmin had been frantically looking for her, but every time he got a trace of her scent, she was always able to shake him off. That was until one night he did locate her in an old building at the outskirts of the city. Sungmin was trying to figure out in which floor of the building she was, but to his surprise, a man jumped from a window finding death a few feet away from him. Sungmin crouched down to see if anything could be done, but the dying man inspired him no compassion. It was the guy that had given Nina drugs so she would overdose. Leaving the trash on the street Sungmin quickly made his way to the apartment from where the guy had jumped, there he found Nina staring at the other drugged humans in the room.</p><p>Nina looked at Sungmin with tears in her eyes, the vampire walked to her, pulling her into a secure embrace. "Why did I waste my days with her? Why was I so stupid?" Nina cried, holding Sungmin tightly.</p><p>"You got lost, Nina. Don't remember the bad, focus on the good. She was so proud of you because you found your way back into her arms. She believes in you, she hoped you would stand your ground and face life with the hope and courage you gained from overcoming your mistakes." Sungmin tried to reason with her.</p><p>Someone downstairs screamed because of the dead body. Nina shook her head. "I didn't kill him. He thought I was a ghost and tried to run away from me." She tried to explain herself, her tone was desperate thinking Sungmin would not believe her words.</p><p>Sungmin pulled her away softly. "Don't worry about such a scumbag. But we need to leave."</p><p>Nina nodded dazedly, the trust he had on her once again made something claw her heart. Sungmin pulled her by the hand and she just moved along. All the while staring at his hand firmly clasping hers. New tears came to her, but those were not of pain, they were of hope and courage as he said. "I don't want to be alone," she mumbled, but that didn't go unnoticed by Sungmin.</p><p>When they were both back at the mansion, Nina kept holding Sungmin's hand when the vampire tried to let go. "I don't want to be alone… but I don't want to go where grandma and my parents are. I want to live with hope and courage," Sungmin smiled down at Nina as they kept their gazes locked in each other. "Can I be your sister?" she asked then, surprising the vampire, even more as she broke their eye contact to look at Daroll who had come find them. "Let me be his sister, please."</p><p>Daroll frowned sadly. "Why would you want it?" he asked softly, just so he could read her soul, read her thoughts. The answer was clear, these past few days, while she harbored murderous intentions against those she blamed for her pain, while questioning if she should give everything up and follow her family, there was someone who didn't give up on her. Someone who had been searching, someone who at finding her had held her, had comforted her, had guided her back. She wanted to be his family, she wanted to pay him back for all the care he had given her. Again Daroll felt a strong sense of familiarity on her wish to be beside Sungmin through his requiem as his family.</p><p>With a pained heart, Daroll looked at Sungmin. "Would you accept it?" he asked sternly. Different from Nina's certainty, Sungmin was filled with uncertainties, with fears of what was to come. There was a huge sense of blame. Whatever would happen to Nina, Sungmin would keep on blaming himself about her. Daroll tried to look into the alternatives. If he were to watch her weakening, the overdose symptoms coming back and ultimately taking her life, he would seek revenge for her. As Nina had gone all the way to stalk those that had caused her pain, from some of her schoolmates to the drug dealers, Sungmin would demand their lives as payment for her death, but that wouldn't erase the blame from him. Alternatively, if she was to stay a blood doll, he would keep on worrying, he would keep on feeding her blood whenever he thought was necessary, and because of his blood she could end up lusting and becoming a danger to the coven. If following her wish, Sungmin would direct his sense of blame into training her, into guiding her through her afterlife. She would be eternally loyal to them as she would become part of the family.</p><p>On the end, Daroll felt he didn't have a choice. To protect Sungmin, he would abide by Nina's wish. "When the winter comes, I will embrace you." Daroll decided. He suddenly thought of the Artisan, what he had said about Younghyun's embrace, then he remembered Sahyon’s letter, could she be the last piece the Antediluvian was talking about? Sungmin was undoubtedly the Artisan's favorite among his progeny, what would he think of Nina? At that moment Daroll worried about when the Antediluvian would come to knock on their door again.</p><p>Nina didn't complain about the delay on Daroll attending her wish, but she thought that maybe that would be better. Sungmin would also need that time to prepare himself, to give his utmost for her most vulnerable years. The coven would also need that time to assimilate their choices, especially Chungyeol to understand Daroll's reasoning and for the two of them to stay alert about the Antediluvian. With the addition of a new vampire, it could be reason enough for the old hag to come to annoy them about the closing in of their destined future.</p><p>The months passed with Nina setting the end of her human life. Mishra prepared a cave for her and when the time came it all felt a little like dejavú. As Younghyun, Nina earnestly wished to become part of the coven, like him, she was embraced on a cold winter day. From that night onward Sungmin took upon himself the duty of training her, acting more like her sire than Daroll. His protectiveness even annoyed Younghyun a bit, it seemed like Sungmin was teaching his younger sister how to be a proper vampire, it seemed now Nina was his favorite sibling. It actually scared Daroll a little when Nina said she could smell details in human blood, just like Sungmin, but unlike him, she didn't fall victim of the fetish for blood as her abilities were still not on par with Sungmin's. It was probably because her hearing ability was highly developed, but not on par with Daroll's or Younghyun's. Chungyeol laughed as he watched Sungmin sternly training the newborn. In his eyes, Nina became Daroll's daughter and Sungmin's younger sister as she had traits from both of them. The first female vampire in their coven, he wondered what kind of role she would play in their destiny.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Requiem for the Forsaken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The coven stayed in Nishinari for a few more decades, moving between the city and the mountains as Mishra still preferred the wild instead of the city. But news coming from Sosari made Daroll decide to go back. Apparently there was yet another assassination of Sosari's Prince, many covens were demanding Daroll to be given the title, but a Deva was selected. The new Prince was a douche, according to Hyeji, hence the vampires were slowly losing territory to the werewolves and if Daroll wanted to avoid a war between the races he would better be back.</p><p>At seeing Daroll back, Soohwan halted the expansion of the werewolf territory but only on the surface. With the pact he had with Daroll, the werewolves could still hunt in the vampire territory subtly. That hunt was the whole point of Soohwan's advance. Several loci had opened in the vampire territory and an alarming amount of riddens started to threaten the humans and the vampires.</p><p>After the coven settled and most of Daroll's allies had once again pledged loyalty to him, the sire called out Sungmin and Younghyun, who were still the strongest bonds with the werewolf pack. "Soohwan formally accepted our help request. He has set an indirect alpha order, once you find Seungi, Chanhyeok and Younghae you must say <em>I came to pick you up</em>."</p><p>The two vampires bowed to their sire and left, they ran around their territory trying to avoid the best they could the growing in numbers riddens, they had never seen such a huge horde of spirits invading the human world and they did not appreciate having their food supply taken just like that. As expected, once they exited their territory the strong spiritual energy diminished and they managed to more openly run to the urathas’ mansion.</p><p>When the two vampires got to the uratha’s house they were told Younghae was most probably at his companion's house, while Chanhyeok and Seungi were checking upon a locus they had sealed the night before. The vampires divided themselves with Younghyun going to find Younghae.</p><p>He found the address but Younghae was not nearby, so Younghyun decided to check who could be his friend's companion. He shook a few branches to call out her attention, he was curious to see how she would react at not finding her lover. He could sense her walking down to the living room from the upper floor, she opened the door and peered out into the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust. At her sight Younghyun felt like he had been punched, Guifei's name almost slipped past his lips. She was similar in appearance and Younghyun wondered if Henry's wife had been able to reincarnate so soon and with the same face. But as they stared at each other there was no recognition in her eyes, Daroll had told him that once Guifei would reincarnate she would recognize them since she was now a slave searching for her masters. Feeling reassured that there would be no bad blood between Henry and Younghae over that human, Younghyun smirked, with inhuman speed he stepped closer to her, stopping a foot a way.</p><p>“Goodnight, Younghae’s companion.” he greeted not hiding his true essence from her. He was once again curious for her reaction.</p><p>Immediately she stiffened, staring at him, unable to move her body, but she tore her eyes away from him to look past, her head not moving along.</p><p>“Could you have your supernatural gatherings somewhere else than my garden?” she questioned, her tone obviously annoyed. “My parents might be coming back soon and I also wouldn’t like to have the neighbors looking out to see weird people creeping in my garden.” her tone was harsh and that had made Younghyun feel slightly confused, he had seen his fair share of werewolf companions and none of them were that hostile against their lovers.</p><p>“My apologies, it’s just your blood smells really good. I’m looking for Younghae, but seems he’s not here. His pet has quite the will.” Younghyun spoke softly, distancing himself a bit only to turn around and see Younghae in his urhan form staring dangerously at him, he smirked at his friend. “Oh, there you are, Hae. I <em>came to pick you up.</em>” The vampire stated the indirect alpha order, the smirk never leaving his face. Younghae relaxed in his stance and glanced at his companion as if to bid his goodbye but she spoke again before anything else could happen.</p><p>“I would appreciate not being called a pet. I am as much Younghae’s as you are mine. Goodnight both of you. Younghae, please be so kind as to not show up here again. People are starting to ask if we got a dog and now my parents are asking me if I know anything. If you can’t even be stealthy, just stay away.” she bit at them, her still harsh tone irritated Younghyun. How unfortunate for his friend, it could happen for a werewolf companion to stop loving them after the initial attraction wore off, it had not happened with any of the other wolves so Younghyun was particularly hurt on behalf of his friend.</p><p>“Don’t worry. He may never show up again. Such a heartless lover you got, Hae, I was going to let you have a proper goodbye but seems it won’t be necessary.” Younghyun sent a back wave at Younghae's unrequited love and vanished. Younghae turned around and jumped over the wall, not looking back at her, he followed the vampire to fulfill his duty of protecting the herd.</p><p>From his hidden chamber, the Artisan watched everything unfold. All pieces had gathered. Daroll's fabulous future was finally becoming reality.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Zevende Lied - Bonus track</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While on patrol, Kangdae saw Sungmin in a distance, heading south to the borders of the werewolf territory. Curious as to why the vampire was alone, the Rahu did his best to reach his friend before the crossed the border. It helped that Sungmin, at taking a whiff of Kangdae's scent, stopped and waited for the werewolf. "Where are you going?" Kangdae asked after shifting from his wolf form.</p><p>Sungmin smirked, handing his friend his cloak. "Scouting. Daroll asked me to find another territory to move in. We are nomadic, we don't stay too long at the same place."</p><p>The reply brought a frown to Kangdae's expression, it was clear he didn't want to see his friend going away. But then again, Sungmin had been acting strange since Seungi found his companion, he was often gone for days. The sudden wish to go away felt fishy.</p><p>"Why do you always go alone? Isn't it dangerous? You alone against whatever lies up ahead?" Kangdae asked next, he was truly worried about the vampire and part of him wished he could go out and be of assistance, but Sungmin's smirk turned into something devilish.</p><p>"I have a dog's nose and a fetish for blood. I am more dangerous than most vampires out there. Plus I have Bloedvuur." he said patting his sword.</p><p>Kangdae obviously didn't like the dog reference, but he couldn't say Sungmin's accurate sense of smell was not a huge handicap. He also understood more or less the so-called fetish for blood, he compared it to his own fetish for food: eating as much as you can whenever you can is bliss. But he still could not understand what was so great about that sword.</p><p>"A sword can't guard your back." Kangdae countered with a huff. He could count on one hand the times he had seen Sungmin not carrying that sword.</p><p>"Bloedvuur is not your average sword," the vampire made a negative hand sign. "You could say it is an ancient artifact made by the most talented vampire artisan to ever set foot on this earth. This sword was uniquely made for me, only I can use it to its full potential. This sword is myself." Sungmin tried to explain, internally laughing at the praises for the Nameless. He could understand the dislike his coven had towards the old hag, but he was the old hag's particular avenger so he should keep his curses deep in his heart.</p><p>On the other hand, Kangdae frowned even more. "What bullshit are you talking about?" the Rahu asked eyeing the sword scabbard. It just looked like a decorative good for nothing sword, how could it be so special?</p><p>Sungmin's patted Kangdae's shoulder. "This sword was forged using my vitae. It has its own fetish for blood. Every time I slash an enemy they feel like they had been burnt and I feel like I had had a snack. I drink my opponent's blood through this sword. So in a fight, while everybody else gets tired and weaker, I get meaner and stronger."</p><p>Kangdae thought back to the few times he had fought alongside the vampire, and it was pretty much as Sungmin said. The cutesy Sungmin would vanish when he fights because Sungmin never kills his enemies with a single hit, he butchers his enemies and there were even times when the vampire would chop up fallen foes. So, if every time he used his sword he was feeding, it would explain why every time a battle was over he would complain the fun never lasts long enough. "Remind me to stay away from you when we fight." Kangdae countered, he understood why Sungmin would be sent alone. The more Sungmin kills, the stronger he gets, he could probably obliterate a whole army of whatever alone.</p><p>But the expression of defeat Kangdae had offered actually brought other thoughts to Sungmin's mind. "Actually..." the vampire started, his expression turning into a cute curious one that could melt many icy hearts. "I have always been curious to taste werewolf blood, from the source." the vampire added. His sword only passes through the nourishment, not the taste. From all the times he had killed werewolves before he sure felt stronger pulses of power coursing through him, he was the craziest when fighting werewolves and he had always linked that to the fact he had always hated them. But now that the hatred was pretty much gone, even being replaced by fondness, he wondered if that had more to do with their blood.</p><p>Kangdae made a face. He was told vampires could make their bite a pleasurable experience or an unbearable torture. He never thought about letting any vampire get close to his neck, but he had a huge soft spot for Sungmin, especially when he acted that cute. He thought for a moment before he pushed Sungmin's face away. "I can let you have a snack, but only if you pass a test."</p><p>Sungmin looked curiously at the werewolf, he was not expecting it to be that easy to get blood. "What test?" knowing Kangdae it would have anything to do with his jealousy towards Seungi.</p><p>"Who has the best scent amongst us pups?" he asked looking at a tree a few feet away.</p><p>The vampire laughed, he knew it would be that easy. Even more so, as he didn't have to lie. Sure Seungi was his best friend, but Kangdae sure had the most tempting scent of all the werewolves he knew. Without further ado, Sungmin quickly jumped on Kangdae's broad back. "Of course it's you!" he replied before he sank his fangs on the vulnerable skin on Kangdae's neck.</p><p>Sungmin decided that very moment was a watershed. His whole requiem could be divided on 'before he tasted Kangdae's blood' and 'after he tasted Kangdae's blood'. That blood was the most delicious and most nourishing he had ever had. It was such a delight that the vampire could not hold himself back, he kept biting and sucking, filling Kangdae's senses with pleasure just so he could make that blood reach its full deliciousness.</p><p>Kangdae was a moaning mess sitting on the ground, with the vampire clinging to him and sucking on his neck as if his requiem depended on it. Sungmin felt like he could keep on feeding on Kangdae for the rest of his requiem because the werewolf's innate healing ability kept replenishing the blood loss, Kangdae's pulse didn't weaken as it felt better and better after each new bite.</p><p>That moment of frenzy was gone when Sungmin was rudely yanked away from Kangdae who fell on the floor completely dazed, he had never felt that good in his life and he doubted he would ever feel anything better than that. Sungmin was sent flying against a nearby tree and only registered that Seungi had shown up after the painful impact.</p><p>"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sungmin?! Do you want to break the pact this badly? Why were you attacking Kangdae?!" Seungi thundered with clear panic, he was afraid to once again lose his friend, but Kangdae reached out and held his ankle.</p><p>"I let him… man, it felt great… do it again, Sungmin..." Kangdae mumbled, still locked in the aftermath of the vampire's bite.</p><p>"With pleasure," Sungmin replied. "That was the most awesome taste I ever had in my mouth."</p><p>"I thought you hated werewolf smell." Seungi countered, confused on how the heck the two of them ended up in that situation.</p><p>Sungmin flailed his hand, still laying on the ground where he landed, trying to get his sanity back, "It was before I befriended you. My first encounter with werewolves is not a particularly fond memory, that was what the smell evoked before I befriended you. Now that I tasted Kangdae's blood werewolf scent is equal to delicious meals," after saying that Sungmin sat up abruptly, his eyes were pulsing a strong reddish glow. "Let me taste you too."</p><p>Seungi frowned again, he looked shortly at Kangdae who was still trying to catch his breath, then at Sungmin who was looking like a dangerous predator ready to jump an innocent unsuspecting prey. "Don't leave me like that and I might let you have a drop," Seungi replied while pointing at Kangdae.</p><p>Sungmin pouted but nodded, fine. If Seungi was going to be stingy with food, Kangdae would be his eternal food supply, he knew the Rahu wouldn't mind. "Fine..." Sungmin mumbled disappointedly.</p><p>"If he tastes bad, I am all yours, Sungmin." and there was Kangdae proving him right and bringing a smile back to Sungmin's expression.</p><p>The vampire took the wrist offered and sank his teeth. It was indeed very delicious and nutritious but as Sungmin suspected it didn't taste as good as Kangdae's. Why was the Rahu's taste so good? As Seungi was not dazed as Kangdae had been, he was soon enough hitting Sungmin's forehead and telling him to stop. Sungmin frowned. "Kangdae's tastes better." the vampire announced, getting a roll of eyes from Seungi and a loud cheer from the Rahu.</p><p>Sungmin felt then something itchy in his throat. How would he trick the other werewolves in order to taste their blood too? Would Sungmin ever be able to suppress his fetish for food? When Kangdae held him from behind offering his wrist, Sungmin was sure the answer to that would always be: no.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>